Why so little is known about the causes and effects of migraines

Unlike a normal headache, a migraine can be so painful that it can blur vision and cause vomiting.

In the Middle Ages, the cure for migraine was linked to "Based on these findings, we believe that women are more likely to suffer from migraine attacks because the magnitude of their fluctuations hormonal changes the level of NHE1, "said the researcher. Emily Galloway

• "The pain is so strong that I feel like cutting my head"

However, paradoxically, most of the research that has been done on migraine is using male and female models. In the laboratory, even if in real life it is women who suffer the most

Long story

These severe headaches are one of the oldest complaints recorded by humanity.

Egypt and dating from 1200 BC describe exactly this evil.

However, the first more accurate description, with the symptoms and name, is due to a second-century Greek doctor, Areteo de Cappadocia.

In fact, the word migraine comes from the Greek word "hemicrania", which means "half-skull".

But despite the medical clbadification, treatment for lightening was still conditioned by superstition.

In the Middle Ages remedies related to witchcraft were suggested, such as the application of a clove of garlic on the temples.

In the 19th century, women suffering from these acute headaches were ridiculed and cataloged by their

others recommended trepanation: a practice of piercing the skull. According to the beliefs of the time, this aggressive procedure was used to free the evil spirits of those who suffered from mental illness.

But beyond these questionable treatments, it was only in the nineteenth century that doctors noticed a higher prevalence. of migraine in women.

Although, again, the diagnoses have not been very successful. Many specialists at the time indicated that it was a mental illness that they called "the disorder of low-clbad mothers" whose spirit was said to be weakened by the daily work, the lack of sleep, badfeeding and malnutrition

. ] Women suffering from these acute headaches have been ridiculed and labeled hysterics, which has caused the stigma of neurosis that has not yet been completely eradicated.

"It was a disease that was linked to a delicate nervous system. And it was considered that women did not have the same ability as men for intellectual work and, therefore, were more likely to over-demand their "weak nervous system," says Joanna Kempner, professor of sociology at Rutgers University. ] In fact, one who is considered the modern father of research on headaches, the American Harold G. Wolff, made a similar difference between migraine According to him, men were ambitious and successful and suffered from migraine only when they were tired

The real cause of the attacks is still unknown. migraine

While women suffered from these severe headaches because they were unable to accept their role as women, especially when it was related to bad.

According to Wolff, women "believe that bad is, at most, a reasonable marital duty." In many cases, for them, it is frankly unpleasant and they feel it. 19659036] "At the end of the 20th century, migraine was almost synonymous with neurotic housewives.In fact, in some dictionaries, the word" migraine "was synonymous with" woman, "says Kempner.

The Mind Counts

It can not be denied that there appears to be a connection between this condition and mental health

Research concludes that migraines are badociated with different psychiatric disorders.

Another study found that one in six people suffering Relapsed migraines had suicidal thoughts at some point in her life (the average in the general population is one in 10). 19659002] "But the big question is whether there is a causal relationship.When you suffer from a disorder like migraine, the likelihood of an overlap with other diseases is very high, "said Messoud Ashina, director of the Migraine Research Unit in Denmark.

Neurology considers migraine as a benign disease.This is not cancer, it is not Parkinson's disease, but if you look at the personal and public impact it has, you see that it's a big problem. "

And of course , suffering from migraines can also lead to poor mental health, instead of being the "delicate mental constitution" but, beyond the debilitating effect, the condition is surprisingly misunderstood or studied.

"Many neurologists consider migraine as a benign disease. It is not cancer, it is not Parkinson 's disease. But if you look at the personal and public impact she's having, you see that's a big problem, "says Ashina.

Professor of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Arleen Starling stresses that in the medical community, many do not consider migraine as a subject for "serious" neurology study

And part of this difficulty may be based on a badist prejudice: we already know that In general, women have more difficulty taking their symptoms seriously or arriving at a correct diagnosis, compared to men.

Very common

According to experts, the large number of migraine patients should mean that specialists are familiar with the condition

"The headache is the most common symptom among outpatients of neurology and is the least taught to resident physicians of the specialty."

But this is not always the case:

"The dol The head is the most common symptom among outpatients of neurology and is the one that is the least taught to residents of the specialty. It's like training electricians but without talking to them about bulbs, "said a source to Kempner when he wrote his book" Tonight No: Migraine and Gender and Health Policies. " "

Fortunately, a new treatment seems to be underway: an injection called Erenumab, which is administered once a month and blocks a receptor in the brain that activates the migraine attack.

" What's interesting with this new drug, it is that it was specially designed to fight migraine. For another illness and it turned out that it could help relieve migraine, "Starling said.

"And being a drug created for a specific disease, the toxicity is less. In other words, it has fewer side effects. "

As a migraine sufferer, I can not be more excited, currently the treatment that I am with is with beta-blockers, which were originally designed for hypertension. 19659009] For people suffering from a migraine, the specialists pointed out that in the near future there will be drugs that can relieve pain.