If You Get Migraines Your Doctor Will Want to Know This

We all experience migraines differently. Hence, caring for a person who suffers from migraines requires an individualized approach. So, if you visit a neurologist or headache specialist for your migraines, they will likely delve into a discussion of various factors in order to sort your unique migraine profile. Here are some key issues your doctor will likely address:

1. Age: This is a big factor when it comes to diagnosing and treating migraines. Particularly when it comes to children versus adults. Migraines in children share some features with migraines in adults, but, they also have their own unique features. For example, children tend to experience migraine pain on both sides of the head, while adults - just on one side. Along with migraine headaches, children tend to experience unique symptoms you don't typically find in adult migraine sufferers. 

These include: 

1. Abdominal pain 

2. Osmophobia (sensitivity to smell) 

3. Vertigo 

4. Autonomic symptoms—runny nose, tearing eyes, facial sweating, etc.
 

Treating a migraine is different between adults and children. Some children and adolescents will not respond to typical adult migraine medication, like ibuprofen or certain tripants. Pediatric headache specialists focus on more unique migraine therapies, like minimizing stress through relaxation techniques and meditation, formulating a migraine action plan at school and ensuring proper sleep and eating schedules.

2. Family History of Migraines: Migraines are hereditary, which means that the disorder tends to run in families. According to the American Migraine Foundation, if one or both of your parents suffer from a migraine, you have a 50% to 75% chance of suffering from migraines too. So, talking to family members who have migraines and finding out more about their attacks can be helpful, considering that migraines within the same family tend to share similar symptoms and triggers. It is also interesting to note that migraine medication that works for one family member often tend to work for other family members. So, after speaking with family members, share this information with your doctor. 

3. Migraine Pattern: Before going to your doctor's appointment, take down notes about the pattern of your migraines. Here are some pattern factors to consider: 

Time of day: Take note if your migraines begin in the morning after waking up, afternoon, evening or the middle of the night. 

Number of migraines: Take note of how many migraines you are experiencing - is it more than fifteen days per month? This indicates chronic migraine. 

Associated symptoms: Do you experience nausea and/or vomiting with your migraines? And are these symptoms more or less debilitating than an actual migraine headache? 

Aura: Do you experience a visual "aura" with your migraines?

Triggers: There are certain foods, weather changes, sleep deprivation, skipping meals and strenuous exercise which can trigger a migraine. 

Hormone connection: Among women, migraines can occur prior to their menstruation, or may worsen or improve during pregnancy, perimenopause (transition into menopause) and so on. This can be extremely important for women. If a young woman notes her migraines are getting worse before menstruating, a doctor may prescribe continuous birth control pills, or a medication like Frova, taken five or six days prior to menstruation. If migraines are worsening because of menopause, hormone replacement therapy may be an option, particularly if the doctor suspects estrogen depletion as a culprit.

4. Medication History: Migraine medications consist of two types of drugs: treatment and preventative. Determining what medications you have tried and what has worked or not worked for you is an important part of your migraine profile. 

5. Treatment Drugs: Your doctor may ask you about your migraine treatment medications, and these include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), triptan, a combination of NSAID/triptan, an herbal supplement, or do you wait for your migraine to pass on its own? Your doctor will also want to know how many times you take the medication per week, if it's at the onset of your migraine if it is tolerable and effective. By better understanding the nuances of your medication, your doctor will better be able to form a unique migraine profile. Perhaps, she will be able to decipher whether you may be suffering from medication overuse headache, in addition to your migraines, or if the side effects are limiting their use. 

6. Prevention Drugs: There are some migraine preventative medications, including blood pressure medication, called Inderal, an antidepressant called Elavil, and an anti-seizure medication called Topamax, among others, are full of side effects and require months before a benefit is seen. Botox is also a reasonable option for chronic migraine therapies, approved by the FDA for treating episodic and chronic migraines. Aimovig (erenumab); Ajovi (fremanezumab); Emgality (galcanezumab) are injectables, targeting a protein that plays a major role in migraine pathogenesis, called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). These drugs have many advantages, but they are only approved if a person has not tolerated prior preventive medications.

7. Underlying Medical Conditions: Your medical history is a major factor when considering your migraine care. For instance, compare a healthy person suffering from migraines, versus a person with multiple medical problems like uncontrolled high blood pressure and kidney disease. Even if they do share similar migraine symptoms and disabilities, the treatment plan will differ based on these underlying medical problems. A thoughtful discussion with your doctor is required when sorting out a person's migraines from alternative or additional symptoms. It is also possible, that what people consider to be their usual migraines, are actually headaches occurring as a result of another condition, such as sleep apnea, high blood pressure, or thyroid disease. Certain health conditions, like obesity, may also worsen your migraines. 

8. Lifestyle: Your daily habits and general lifestyle can affect your migraine experience, be they triggers, contributors, or interacting with therapies. Your doctor may want to know if you consume caffeine or alcohol on a weekly basis, whether you exercise, and what your usual daily meal plan is like. They may ask if you engage in mind-body therapies, like yoga or meditation, and what medication you take, including supplements and vitamins. They'll also want to know if you see a primary care physician regularly. 

Whatever may be causing your migraines, know that it is important to see a headache specialist, just be sure to write down the factors that comprise your personal migraine profile and know that there is no right or wrong feeling or answer. The best thing to do is to be honest. Read more about why migraines happen here.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Can age-related fraility be reversed?

Early signs such as slowing down, fatigue or unintentional weight loss are now recognised as an opportunity for intervention through lifestyle changes.

 

Some of the most powerful interventions to slow or improve frailty are also the most ordinary: regular movement, adequate nutrition and meaningful social connection.

It almost sounds too simple for a condition now recognised as one of the strongest predictors of hospitalisation, disability, poor recovery from illness or surgery, nursing home admission and death in later life.

Older adults living with frailty have less physiological reserve: the body’s spare capacity to cope with illness, injury or stress. A relatively small event, such as a chest infection, a medication change or even a few days in bed, can trigger a sudden loss of independence. Meanwhile, a more robust older adult may recover quickly from a more serious illness.

How we age can vary greatly, even between people of the same age. One 82-year-old may stay active and independent, while another struggles to rise from a chair and becomes increasingly dependent after a short hospital stay.

The growing recognition that frailty, rather than age alone, shapes how people age is changing the way clinicians and researchers think about later life. While living longer is one of society’s greatest achievements, frailty and its evidence-based management have become increasingly important public health and clinical concerns.

Checking for frailty is now routine in many healthcare settings for adults aged over 65. Assessment increasingly focuses on how robust or frail a person is physically, cognitively and socially.

Frailty assessment

There are two main ways frailty is assessed. The first sees frailty as a physical syndrome marked by weakness, exhaustion, slow walking speed, unintentional weight loss and low physical activity. People with one or two of these features may be considered “pre-frail”, while those with several are considered frail.

The second approach views frailty as the accumulation of health problems over time. In this model, chronic illnesses, mobility problems, memory difficulties, hearing or vision loss, poor nutrition and social isolation all contribute to a reduced ability to cope with a stressful event for the body, such as a fall, infection or hospital stay.

Frailty is often spoken about as though it is permanent, something a person simply becomes. You are either robust or frail, independent or dependent, strong or declining. But research suggests the reality is far more fluid.

Frailty exists on a spectrum from robustness to pre-frailty, mild frailty, moderate frailty and severe frailty, and people may move in either direction over time. Although frailty often progresses, it can sometimes be delayed or improved, depending on the underlying cause and the support available.

Frailty isn’t always permanent

A large review involving more than 42,000 older adults found that, over an average follow-up period of almost four years, around 14% of people improved their frailty status, nearly 30% became more frail, and just over half remained stable. The findings suggest frailty is dynamic and, for some people, potentially reversible.

Rather than simply asking whether someone is frail or not, clinicians are increasingly looking at where a person sits on the frailty spectrum and what supports might help build resilience. Early signs such as slowing down, fatigue or unintentional weight loss are now recognised as an important opportunity for intervention through relatively simple lifestyle changes.

Regular physical activity that includes resistance-based exercise, such as using weights, elastic bands or body weight to build strength at least twice per week, can help improve frailty or slow its progression. The benefits can be even greater when exercise is combined with nutrition or cognitive interventions, such as memory, attention and problem-solving activities.

An Irish trial of a home-based frailty programme delivered through primary care targeted older adults living with mild frailty or less. The programme combined strengthening exercises, regular walking and dietary protein guidance. Frailty rates in the intervention group fell from 17.7% to 6.3% after three months, while they slightly increased in those receiving usual care.

Recovery also appears to depend on more than physical health alone. In a study of more than 5,000 adults aged 75 and older, nearly one-third of those who were frail at the start of the study recovered to a less frail state within two years. Recovery was more likely among those who took part in exercise-based social activities, rated their own health more positively, trusted their community and regularly interacted with neighbours.

Activities that challenge memory, attention and problem-solving can support cognitive health and may help reverse frailty. Psychological resilience, the ability to adapt to stress or difficult life events and recover from them over time, has also been linked to better frailty outcomes.

Frailty is now recognised as more than an inevitable part of ageing. While it remains a powerful predictor of hospitalisation, disability and death in later life, growing evidence shows it can often be prevented, slowed or improved. Everyday choices, including how much we move, who we spend time with and the activities that give us purpose and connection, can help support healthier ageing.

 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs