Migraine aura can be a visual symptom that accompanies a migraine attack. Maybe you have heard of scintillating scotoma? Perhaps you heard of this term for migraine aura while you were browsing a website, or maybe your doctor mentioned it to you. What is it? What does it look like? Can it cause permanent vision loss? Is it an ocular migraine? If you are looking for answers to questions like these, you have come to the right place. Let’s dive into it.
Exploring Different Types of Migraine and Headaches – Compare Your Symptoms
There are many different types of migraine or headache disorders. The list of different types of migraine and headache disorders is below with their typical symptoms as well. Because many of them overlap, or for the overachievers who have multiple different types of headache, it’s best to get diagnosed by a headache specialist.
Allay Lamp – The Green Light For Migraine – Six Month Update
When Allay sent me their green light for migraine to review six months ago, I didn’t think it would become one of my favorite tools in my toolkit. In these past months, I have been successfully using it as a preventive and abortive treatment. When I first wrote about the Allay Lamp, I explained how the narrow band of green light in the lamp worked. It was a novel item I had added to my migraine toolkit. But it has been six months now and my love of the Allay Lamp is still going strong. I thought I would write an update on how the lamp and I have been doing.…
Migraine Preventive Medications: Comprehensive Guide
While over 1 billion people world wide have migraine, only a small percentage of them use migraine preventive medications to control their migraine attacks. A migraine preventive medication is considered and offered when people with migraine meet certain criteria: Four or more attacks per month or eight head pain days – Can include severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks typically last for 4-72 hours, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with daily activities. Vestibular migraine attacks might not have head pain, but will include…
Come Find Community within the Migraine Healthline App
This article is sponsored by our partner, Healthline. Migraine Healthline, is a new app that connects people with migraine. Download your free Migraine Healthline App! We have been working with Healthline since February to build a strong community within the Migraine Healthline App. This Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, we continue to join forces with Healthline to raise awareness and provide support for the migraine community. We have enjoyed spending time in the app. It is amazing to watch the community take shape and evolve. We see friendships blossom and watch people suffering with migraine reach out to others to lend a steadying hand. What We Love About The Migraine…
Migraine Cocktail: A Comprehensive Guide
According to the Migraine Research Foundation (MRF), migraine affects one billion people across the globe, 39 million in the United States alone, and it’s the 6th most disabling illness in the world. Finding an effective migraine cocktail is one of the single most important things that anyone with migraine can hope to find. Everyday we have conversations about acute medications in the Migraine Strong Facebook group. Which ones work best, what can be combined together and just how many triptans are there on the market? I hope having all of this information in one place will be helpful for anyone treating migraine or trying to put together an effective migraine…
An Open Letter to Family and Friends of People With Migraine
There are some realities of migraine that none of us can escape. It affects more than a billion people worldwide, between 40-50 million in the United States alone and around 4 million of those have chronic migraine (15 or more headache days a month with 8 days being migraine). These are common symptoms of migraine: Pain (mild to severe) Dizziness/Vertigo Nausea/Vomiting Extreme sensitivity to light/scents/sound/motion Tinnitus/Ringing in the ears Aphasia (Difficulty speaking) Vision loss Visual phenomena (shapes, spots, colors, flashes of light, zig zag lines, halos etc) Weakness or numbness in face and extremities Olfactory hallucinations (smelling odors that aren’t there) Intense fatigue/Weakness Neck pain and stiffness Irritability/Excitability Food cravings …
The Allay Lamp for Migraine Light Sensitivity
My migraine light sensitivity is rather legendary. Everyone from my family, friends and even this migraine community has heard me talk about or has read what I have written about it. During bad attacks it seems as if the sun is loud and not just exceedingly bright. I love a dark cave of a room during an attack more than anywhere else. It is my safe place. When I was approached by the Allay company to test the new Lamp for migraine in exchange for my feedback, I was excited to give it a try. This is yet another tool that we can add to our toolbox to fight migraine…
Cannabis for Migraine: Interview with Jodie Epstein
Cannabis for migraine is a popular topic in our private Migraine Strong Facebook Group. It falls under the Misc. category of our Treatment Pie. While not everyone in the United States and beyond has legal access to cannabis for migraine, a larger number of patients are gaining access each year and are finding that cannabis has a place in their treatment plan. Jodie Epstein is a patient advocate and educator from Toronto, Ontario. She is also the Founder of MigraineBuds.com and the private MigraineBuds Chat Facebook Group which discusses all things cannabis and migraine. She created both channels after finding it difficult to obtain information about cannabis that was specific…
Why Is Migraine Such A Pain In The Neck?
I have had neck pain along with migraine for as long as I can remember. It just took me a long time to realize that the pain in my neck was actually a symptom related to migraine and not a separate underlying condition. This was certainly complicated by the fact that I had herniated a disc at the C6-C7 area of my spine shortly after my son was born. Because of this, I really thought that the years of neck pain before and after this injury were all related, even though though physical therapy was successful. Why was I still so convinced that the pain in my neck was a…
