Migraine The Missing Piece

How is migraine diagnosed?, Migraine can generally be diagnosed from its clear-cut symptoms, which usually fall into a recognizable pattern. A patient with suspected migraine will be asked how often the headaches occur, where the pain is localized, how long they last and related questions. The physician also will take a full medical history, including information about any past head injury, eye strain, sinus condition, and dental or jaw problems.

The physician may order exams and blood work to exclude other possible causes for the headache pain. It is usually not necessary to do X-ray or other scans of the brain. This would be recommended in certain situations such as unexplained onset at a later age, an unexplained finding on neurologic exam or features that are atypical for migraine. Patients with sudden onset of extremely severe headache must be immediately scanned to rule out the possibility of an aneurysm. Other signals for scanning are rapidly increasing frequency of headache or persistent headache unresponsive to treatment.

Myth: Stress doesn't trigger migraines.

“Physical and emotional stress, both good and bad, may trigger a migraine by releasing chemicals that can cause changes in the brain. Even letdown after a period of stress can trigger a migraine. ”