Migraine is one of the most bothersome types of headache, sometimes so severe that a person is unable to function normally. It is accompanied by a range of symptoms, such as sensitivity to light, sounds, or smells, as well as nausea and vomiting. The causes of migraine headaches have not been unequivocally explained to this day; usually, they are attributed to genetic and environmental factors.
How can a migraine be recognized? What factors can contribute to its occurrence? Where are leeches placed for migraines? We answer!
Migraine – what is it?
In our society, there is a belief that every headache is a migraine, but this is not the case. Migraine is a severe disease-causing troublesome headache. These are intrinsic pains not associated with any other disease. Migraine has a paroxysmal and recurrent character, and as statistics show, it affects women significantly more often than men.
Types of migraine
Migraine can take many different forms. The commonly used classification includes two main types of migraine. These are:
– Migraine with aura (classic) – characterized mainly by severe headache,
– Migraine without aura (joint) – the headache is preceded by an aura attack, i.e., neurological disturbances of vision and sensation. This includes, among others, migraine with typical aura, migraine with sudden onset aura, migraine with prolonged aura, familial hemiplegic migraine, basilar migraine, and migraine aura without headache.
Sometimes, other types of migraine are also mentioned, such as menstrual, abdominal, or ocular migraine. Depending on the duration of the migraine, a status migrainosus is distinguished when the migraine lasts longer than 72 hours and chronic migraine, which is talked about when migraine pains occur at least 15 days a month for three consecutive months.
Migraine – causes
Although migraine has been a common disease in society for centuries, its causes have not been unequivocally determined to this day. Based on the research conducted so far, it can be concluded that genes are largely responsible for migraine pains, along with the influence of environmental factors.
In practice, this means that if someone in the immediate family struggles with migraines, there is a significant probability that we will also face this problem. How often symptoms will appear and how severe they will be depends on exposure to numerous triggering factors.
Symptoms of migraine
A typical symptom of migraine is a strong, debilitating headache that interferes with normal functioning, movement, and even thinking. It is usually located on one side of the head, behind the eyeball and temple, has a pulsating character, and intensifies over time.
In addition to pain, other symptoms that may occur during a migraine include:
– Nausea and vomiting,
– Sensitivity to smells and sounds,
– Photophobia,
– Watery eyes,
– Speech disturbances,
– Tingling in the limbs,
Migraine – triggering factors
Although migraines can occur spontaneously, without apparent cause, they happen when specific external stimuli trigger them. Factors triggering migraine include:
– Prolonged stress,
– Fatigue,
– Lack of sleep,
– Bad weather conditions,
– Consumption of certain foods,
– Taking certain medications,
– Long-term hunger or thirst.
Strong external stimuli such as intense smells, flashes of light, or loud sounds can also contribute to the occurrence of migraine. People who often experience migraine pains are advised to eliminate triggering factors from their lives as much as possible to alleviate persistent discomfort.
Leeches for migraine
No one knows better than migraine sufferers how hard it is to win the battle against migraine. Many of them have visited dozens of specialists and tried many treatment methods. These actions did not bring the expected results – migraine pain, even if it subsides for a while, sooner or later returns, sometimes with even greater intensity.
Leech therapy can support traditional migraine treatment methods. Leeches are placed around the neck, behind the earlobe, along the spine, at the coccyx, around the sacrum, and near the mastoid process. In one session, 3 to 8 leeches are usually applied to the patient. This helps the patient cope with the pain, which is significantly weaker already after the first therapy. For the best effects, the treatment should be repeated 5 to 10 times.
There is no guarantee that leech therapy will once and for all eliminate migraine pains. However, it will reduce their frequency and intensity. Therefore, it is worth trying the leech application treatment and seeing whether it works.