Headaches are an ordinary cause of suffering, but all headaches are not created equal. The major challenge to affording relief from various forms of cephalgia, or head pain, is categorizing a headache by type, and then proceeding with the therapy most likely to help. The International Headache Society's landmark work on headache classification has permitted important advances in headache study, but is somewhat awkward to use in clinical practice. One practical approach is to first differentiate urgent headaches from others that may be less urgent, if no less distressing. Identifying special headaches is the next step. Lastly, if neither of these classifications fit, treatment of tension or migraine headache is in order.

About the migraine

Migraine is an organic disease that affects more than 30 million Americans. With better diagnosis and with reporting of this disease on the rise, an almost 60 percent increase in occurrence of migraine over the past decade has been noted. Migraine is a neurological and sometimes it is also known as hereditary disease. Migraine is naturally characterized by severe, recurring head pain, usually located on one side of the head and one or more of the following associated symptoms: nausea; vomiting; and increased sensitivity to light, sound and smell. Other related symptoms may include lightheadedness, diarrhea and scalp tenderness. Migraine symptoms vary from individual to individual sufferer, making diagnosis complicated. Many breakthroughs regarding the biological and genetic reasons of migraine have been made in recent years. And while some of the exact biological mechanisms are still being studied, it is known that Migraine is caused by neurological, not psychological, mechanisms. Hence, breakthroughs in treatment offer hope and prevention for millions of people who suffer from the physical and emotional pain of migraine.

Relief

In the past, migraine has meant to be managed in a way that either prescribed drugs that helped prevent attacks or those that treated during an attack but not both. Modern migraine management is based on the multi-factor move toward that addresses four aspects of care: preventative treatment, trigger management, abortive treatment, and general pain management. Gentle Touch Practitioners, hereafter referred to as Touchers, who suffer from migraines adapt the standard medical approach by supplementing it with the Touch. In the area of preventative treatment, Touchers who undergo from migraines will seek out opportunities to use the Touch, as they know that the Toucher also benefits. They will make use of it on themselves in a general fashion even though there is no pain in the head and neck area. They will disburse particular attention to the back of the neck where the spine joins the skull.