TRIGGERS AND CAUSES

One of the biggest problems in diagnosing and treating migraine is the confusion by many patients (and doctors) between events that 'trigger' an attack, and the underlying 'causes' of the problem.

Headache and migraine sufferers all have one or more underlying problems that may usually not cause pain, until they are affected by a superimposed trigger.

For example, the most common trigger for migraine is stress - but stress itself is not painful. People who don't suffer from migraine have just as much stress as migraineurs, but their stress doesn't trigger a migraine. The reason for this is that migraine sufferers have an underlying tendency to muscle tension. When they are stressed, their levels of muscle tension rise sufficiently for the muscles of the head and neck to become painful, and they have a migraine attack.

The underlying 'cause' in these people is a raised level of muscle tension, and the trigger is stress.

The most common triggers are stress, hormonal fluctuations in women, various foods, alcohol, being in the hot sun, dehydration, low blood sugar, and changes in the weather - but the list is endless. Some people are aware of what triggers their attacks, and in some cases, such as food or alcohol, are able to avoid their specific triggers.

At THE HEADACHE CLINIC, the focus is on identifying the underlying causes of the problem by means of our COMPLETE DIAGNOSIS^TM. Once the underlying cause or causes have been treated, the triggers are no longer effective in triggering attacks.