NC Healthcare Coverage Blog

We are all aware that headaches can be a real pain but there are some of us who get the mother-load of headaches called migraines. These type of headaches can cause dizziness, nausea and even severe sensitivity to light, sound and or even smells. Some sufferers say they have to rest in a dark, quiet room and often have to cancel all activities planned for the day, including work. Affecting around 28 million Americans, migraines are pretty common according to the National Headache Foundation. But even though they are very common in our society, they continue to remain mysterious, and new research keeps finding unusual facts about migraines.

For instance, a short time ago scientists found that women who suffer from migraines could be less prone to getting breast cancer. The study followed 9,000 women and discovered that those who had migraines were 26% less likely to have breast cancer. The authors of the study published Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers  & Prevention, think that this positive effect could be linked to changing hormone levels. Migraines have been found to happen after decreases in estrogen levels.

Even though this is a very positive finding, ask any migraine sufferer, and they will tell you that experiencing a migraine is a very painful ordeal. Also, new research even indicates that migraines could possibly change the brain.

In the June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a study reports that brain lesions develop in older women who have a common type of migraine – the sort that comes with “auras,” which are specific bodily feelings that come before the headache occurs. More than 4,600 men and women were observed by researchers for more than 40 years. The men and women kept track of their migraine experiences at midlife and the had brain scans done later in life. Some of the men and women were found to have brain lesions, but women who had migraines accompanied by auras tended to be at a higher risk. The cerebellum, the area of the brain that controls motor and sensory integration, had the most noticeable lesions.

This said, scientists are not completely sure if migraines are what is causing these changes in the brain. They are also not sure what causes migraines to even happen. Some research points to different types of nerves as being the culprit, and others have suggested that it is the regulation of brain chemicals that cause migraines, such as serotonin. Still there are some who say that genetics play a big role. Then there are those that say factors in the environment like stress, weather changes and specific foods such as aged cheeses, processed meats, alcohol, and MSG can trigger migraines as well.

So what to do if you are a sufferer? Well a variety of medications can offer help to treat migraines and sometimes even keep them from happening at all, specifically if the sufferer tends to occur after a predictable pattern.

Even though there is effective medicine for most types of migraines, a study done by the National Headache Foundation revealed that more than 43% of sufferers had never used preventive therapy – which consisted of exercising or staying away from trigger foods. If you tend to suffer from migraines, speak to your doctor about beginning a treatment and prevention plan.