Migraine or Hemicrania or Nervous Headache
Migraine:It is a peculiar type of one sided headache which by some has been consideredit as neuralgia of the temporal, frontal and occipital nerves, or as a hyperesthesia of the brain, or a cerebral neuralgia. Some others consider it in the female as a hysterical manifestation of certain derangement of the menstrual function. Migraine in women occurs right before, during or after menstrual periods. This is called as menstrual migraine. A decrease in hormones may trigger a migraine, because estrogen controls the chemicals in the brain that controls sensation of pain in women. Migraine is most frequently met with in women of hysteric, chlorotic or anemic tendency, and a weak and nervous constitution, also in married women who have no children,(nallyparas) and in young widows. Men of weak constitution who read and study much in the night, who lead a loose life, are likewise subject to migraine. Nevertheless, migraine is a severe and painful headache.
Migraine, which is so frequently met with, returns periodically. It generally commences in the morning and increases during the course of the day as the Sun ascends and headache reaches its peak in the evening. Very often it attacks only one side of the head, or passes from one side to the other, or it is confined to the top of the head, or to the forehead or occiput. Headache often reaches an unbearable stage, associated with nausea and generally ends with vomiting of bitter, greenish, or slimy masses. In some cases one thorough vomiting is enough to relieve the pain while in other cases both vomiting and pain continue for several hours, until finally a sound sleep relieves it all. During the paroxysms the patient is very sensitive to light, noise, strong odors and touch and seeks a dark, noiseless place where he can lie undisturbed.
The following are some of the symptoms of Migraine.
1.Moderate to severe pain usually confined to one side of the head but, in certain cases it can occur on both sides of the head.
2.Pain will be throbbing and pulsating.
3. Aggravation of pain due to mental exertion.
4.Aversion to light and sound
5.Nausea and vomiting
6.Great relief after vomiting and subsequent sound sleep.
Treatment: (Leading symptoms).
Gelsemium: commences with dimness of sight and double vision, vertigo spreading from occiput. Heavinessof head.Band-feeling around and occipital headaches.Worse about 10 A.M and when lying down.Better from compression, from lying and reclining the head on high pillow.Desire to be quiet, to be left alone.Dull, heavy headache with heaviness of eyelids and muscular soreness of neck and shoulders. Headache preceded by blindness and betterfrom profuse urination.Visionblurred, smoky.Dim sighted; pupils dilated and insensible to light. Orbital neuralgia, with contraction and twitching of muscles.Bruised pain in back of the orbits. One pupil dilated and the other contracted.
2. Argentumnitricum:Pressive pain in the forehead on getting awake in the morning, gradually extending from the supra-orbital ridge upward to the coronal suture with heaviness in head and vertigo, which does not turn in a circle, but inclines the patient to reel to one or the other side; dimness before the eyes; ringing in the ears; sense of relaxation in the stomach, as though it were hanging down loosely; all the symptoms better after eating a good dinner and drinking a glass of wine. Worse after drinking coffee. Emotional disturbances cause appearance of hemi-cranial attacks. Aching in frontal eminence, with enlarged feeling in corresponding eye. Boring pain; better on tight bandaging and pressure. Itching of scalp.Hemi-crania; bones of head feel as if separated.Spots before the vision.Blurred vision.Photophobia in warm room.Purulentophthalmia.Great swelling of conjunctiva; discharge abundant and purulent.Aching and tired feeling in eyes. Better closing or pressing upon them.
3. Sanguinaria: The pain commences in the occiput ( back part of the head), rises and spreads over the head and settles especially above the right eye, with nausea, vomiting and chilliness. The patient is constrained to seek a dark room and to lie perfectly still; flushes of heat; burning of the soles and feet; scanty urine at first, later profuse flow or clear urine. Periodical sick headache; pain better lying down and sleep.Worse right sided headache.
4.Spigelia: Different sorts of pains frequently extending into the eyes and sides of the face, always worse from stooping, slightest motion, concussion, noise, and during stool; they are apt to appear at regular hours, either in the forenoon or in the night and are mostly attended with paleness of the face, palpitation of the heart and oppression of chest.Pain beneath frontal eminence and temples, extending to eyes.Semi-lateral, involving left eye; pain violent, throbbing; worse, making a false step. Pain as if a band around head.Vertigo.Spigelia mostly suitable and useful in left sided pain in eye and head.
5. Belladona: One sided pain especially on the right side; throbbing, beating, attended with vertigo, congestion of the head and eyes, and throbbing of the carotid arteries(thick tubes carrying blood from the heart to the brain that pass up through neck) or great paleness of the face; pain worse on lying down, better on bending head backward, and external pressure.Vertigo, with falling to left side or backwards.Sensitive to least contact.Much throbbing and heat. Palpitation reverberating in head with labored breathing. Pain in forehead, also occiput, and temples. Headache worse on right side and aggravated by light, noise, lying down and inthe afternoon; better by pressure and semi-erect position. Other remedies for headaches are Bryonia, Arsenicum Album, Sulphur, Glonoine, Iris Versicolor, Nux Vomica, Thuja, Silicea, Pulsatilla, and Cocculus.
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