Myths About Migraine You Need To Stop Believing

The last thing anyone experiencing a migraine wants to hear is that it’s all in their head. Despite being the third most common neurological disease, and affecting up to every 1 in 5 individuals, migraine is often misunderstood.

Here are some of the most common myths about migraine that you need to stop believing.

Myth 1: Migraine headaches are just bad headaches

Do you get stomach aches or feel nauseous with headaches? If so, then you’re not just suffering from just a bad headache — you have a migraine. In fact, only about 10% of those who experience headaches consider them bad enough to qualify as migraines (which are usually accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound).

Myth 2: It’s possible to prevent migraines by making changes in your diet

Some people find that certain foods trigger their migraines, but there is no research to suggest that a specific diet can prevent the onset of a migraine attack.

In the past, doctors have cautioned migraine sufferers against eating chocolate or drinking tea and coffee regularly due to the caffeine content and its tendency to aggravate migraines in some people. However, recent migraine treatment in Lancashire suggests chocolate and coffee do not cause migraines, and it’s safe for those who suffer from them to enjoy small amounts of it without fear of triggering an attack.

Myth 3: Migraine only affects women

This is a common myth because most sufferers of migraine are women. However, migraine affects men and women almost equally, with research suggesting no sex-based differences influencing migraine attack frequency.

Myth 4: You can’t get migraines before puberty or after menopause

While the majority of sufferers do develop them after puberty, it’s estimated that around one per cent of sufferers’ experience migraines before this time.

Similarly, around half of all sufferers do get migraines after menopause (when hormone levels drop) and around a quarter continue to experience them into old age.

Myth 5: Everyone who has migraine experiences auras or visual disturbances

Auras are a common migraine symptom, but not everyone with migraine will experience these visual disturbances. Research holds that almost half of people who have migraine do not experience visual disturbances, so this is not unique to those with migraine.

Myth 6: If you have a migraine, you should be quiet and sleep it off

Migraine symptoms tend to peak between 4-72 hours after the initial headache starts, according to the National Migraine Centre. Going to bed won’t necessarily provide much relief during this time because it may take several hours for a person’s migraine attack to reach its peak intensity. And as anyone who has ever had migraine knows, lying in bed with throbbing head pain only amplifies the misery.

Myth 7: There’s no cure for migraines apart from medicines

There is no cure for migraine, but there are ways to treat it to relieve the pain and other symptoms. Many people are surprised to find out that acupuncture and massage can actually help relieve the pain of migraines.

Here at 5 Star Clinic Ltd, we believe in providing effective migraine treatment in Preston, Lancashire. We have a team of highly qualified health professionals and acupuncturists who have been serving the needs of more than a thousand people in Preston.

We are committed to providing the most effective treatments for various conditions including:

✓ Migraine relief ✓ All types of back pain ✓ Neck pain ✓ Sciatica ✓ Arthritis ✓ RTA and Sport injuries

Book an appointment with us today.