Causes of Migraine Headaches

Causes of migraine headaches lie within the patient themselves, for migraines are a neurological disorder, one of altered senses, which when felt by the body then create great discomfort and unease.

Migraines are classed as a Primary headache, which means they can occur on their own. (Secondary headaches have to be caused by some underlying disease.)

So no disease is required for you to suffer from migraine headaches, and if you do have this affliction, you might be amused to know you are called, medically that is, a migraineur. It sounds rather French, doesn't it?

Both men and women can get migraines, but more females have the affliction than males. Things are different before puberty, though... for boys and girls both seem about equal with the number of migraines attacks they get.

Migraines are vascular headaches. (Vascular just means it has something to do with veins and arteries.)

Seven out of ten migraineurs (migraine sufferers) have a close relative who also suffers from migraine headaches. This would be their father or mother, a brother or sister, or a son or daughter. Researchers are unsure whether the migraines are genetically heredetary - carried over through the DNA - or if they were inherited by the migraineur copying the family's tastes and habits which may trigger the migraines.

A migraine can be brought on by smoking cigarettes or by stress factors, such as heat, lack of food or lack of sleep. They can also be triggered by alcohol and several foodstuffs, including cheese, nuts and MSG (monosodium glutimate is commonly added to many Asian foods, especially Chinese dishes).

Chocolate is another infamous migraine headache trigger food, so people who think they are being clever, by eating chocolate and having a glass (or two) of red wine often find they end up with a raging migraine headache. (Both chocolates and red wine have anti-oxidant qualities, it is true. But do not have them together if you are prone to getting migraines!)

Medical doctors and researchers still don't understand the causes of migraine headaches, although they have been trying to unlock the secrets for hundreds of years (at the very least). People are known to have have suffered from migraine headaches thousands of years ago. Some of them have even been mentioned in the Bible.