Health & Fitness

Anyone who suffers from them knows that migraines are definitely not like a standard headache. These sometimes debilitating bouts of head pain are almost indescribably in their brutality, and unrelenting in their intensity. The migraine is a mysterious affliction that, despite the fact that its been around for thousands of years, still baffles modern science.

It is estimated that up to 18 percent of women suffer from migraines. Studies have shown that only 6 percent of men get migraines, and scientists have no idea why there is this discrepancy between the sexes. One thing that scientists have been able to determine is that migraines are a hereditary condition. Inexplicably, the percentage of migraine suffers has been steadily increasing. Some estimates report that migraine sufferers have increased by over 60 percent since 1981.

Furthermore, no one seems to know what exactly causes migraines. People have guessed that contributing factors might include everything from food to the weather to light intensity, but no one has been able to accurately determine the exact cause of a migraine attack. As migraine sufferers well know, if you dont know the cause, prevention can be next to impossible.

The Physiology of a Migraine Attack
Some scientists theorize that what actually happens during a migraine attack is that the blood arteries surrounding the brain actually contract. This causes the blood flow in the area surrounding our visual center to greatly reduce. This could account for the hallucinations that are often associated with severe migraine attacks.