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Aura: a phase of some migraine headaches during which you may experience a change in senses, lasting an hour or less, that often ends right before, but persists into, the onset of a migraine. Aura often interferes with vision, hearing, touch, smell, or taste. Visual aura is the most common type of aura, and may include flashing lights, zigzag patterns that move in front of your eyes, or “heat waves” that move across your field of vision.
Biofeedback: relaxation techniques such as biofeedback can be effective in helping sufferers manage their migraines. Biofeedback uses physical signals, such as feelings you get early in your migraine attack, to help you change the way your body reacts to those signals. Biofeedback can teach you how to control a number of body functions in order to relax more deeply. Ask your healthcare professional for more information about biofeedback.
Brain: the command center of the central nervous system. The brain is made up of billions of individual nerve cells.
Migraine: a condition with symptoms that include headache, usually on one side of the head; aura; nausea and vomiting; sensitivity to lights, sounds, smells, or movement; dizziness; difficulty concentrating; and diarrhea.
Migraine diary: a written record in diary form that lists possible migraine triggers, such as specific foods eaten, beverages consumed, medications taken, activities, sleep patterns, or stress levels, as well as the times of each migraine headache. The purpose of the diary is to try to identify which factors lead to a migraine headache.
Migraine trigger: any factor, such as a food, a beverage, a medicine, an activity, your sleep pattern, your stress level, or your phase of the menstrual cycle, that is regularly associated with the onset of migraine.
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG: a flavor enhancer used in some frozen foods, canned or dried soups, salad dressings, processed meats, imported foods, tomato and barbecue sauces, and snack foods.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine: medicine available without a prescription; simple analgesic or pain relief medicines, aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen are examples of over-the-counter pain relief medicines.
Rebound headache: also known as a medicine overuse headache, a rebound headache is a headache that occurs regularly within hours after the last dose of medicine for headache pain. Rebound headache could be caused by overuse of an over-the-counter or prescription medicine.
Relaxation training: learning techniques to gain control over the body’s responses to migraine headaches; progressive muscle relaxation and meditation are examples.
Stress: your physical, mental, or emotional response to any unpleasant cause, which may upset the balance of the human body in some way.
Stress management: an approach to relieving the pain of migraine by reducing self-generated stress, which can trigger or aggravate a migraine headache.
What Are Migraine Headaches? | What Triggers Migraine Headaches? | How Are Migraine Headaches Diagnosed? | Migraine Headache Treatments | Work With Your Healthcare Professional | Web Resources |
