nacer@orstcs.UUCP (nacer) (02/02/86)
/***** orstcs:net.med / nacer / 12:10 am Feb 2, 1986*/ According to your description of your wife's headache, the diagnosis i can make is migraine a functional disorder in which the afflicted person experiences distressing symptoms in recurring episodes, with the attacks coming at intervals of a few days to as long as a month or more. The outstan- ding symptoms is a severe headache which is often limited to just one side of the head. The attack is usually preceeded by certain unusual sensations (cold sensory prodromata) such as the seeing of bright or colored lights which a person soon learns by experience indicate the onset of another attack. During the attack there is often severe nausea and vomiting. The attack lasts for several hours ends spontaneously, and leaves the person rather exhausted. More than half the person who have migraine belong to a family in which migraine has occurred in other relatives- (grand parent, parents, brothers, and sisters). In women migraine attacks frequently are related to menstruation. Persons who have migraine are usually perfectionists who drive themselves relentlessly toward reaching some goal. Possibly the reason migraine tends to run in families is that persons in the same family have similar personality characteristics. The first consideration in dealing whit the problem of migraine is to evaluate your wife's personality by helping her to discover what factors provide her with stress and unsolved tensions. There may certain circumstances that tend to bring on an attack of migraine. This person needs to learn to be at more ease at her job, at home, and in persuing her ambitions. In order to releave the migraine attacks, it may necessary to change to a job that is more enjoyable. It may mean facing to some family problem that bothers your wife. It may mean finding some form of enjoyable recreation that provides physical activity to counterbalance the mental strain under which wife finds herself. It may also involve radical altering of life-style. Certain kinds of medication are quite effective in releaving the symptoms of a migraine attack. These should be used only under a doctor supervision. The primary enphasis, however should be on finding the basic cause of the tendency to migraine attacks rather than on releaving the symptoms when to attacks occur. Tension headache are triggered by some inner personal conflict which involves hostility or resentment. Usually such a factor operates unconsciously without persons realizing such a relationship. Every one has problems to solve and every one operates under a certain amount of nervous tension. Persons who get along without having symptoms of tension are those who learn to live within their personal limitations, keeping their expenditures of nervous energy at a lower level then the point at which a headache. For the remedy, let your wife try this four-point program during at least two months. 1) get at least eight hours of sleep each night 2) eat a well-balanced diet and eat your meals regularly 3) take some pleasant physical exercice each day preferably out of doors. 4) every hours of the day during working hours, knock off for ten minutes and do nothins but relax. you may spend this ten minutes in lounging in listening to relaxing music or in sitting with your eyes closed. Houria Moussaoui 530 NW Kings Blvd Corvallis, OR 97330 nacer@orstcs /* ---------- */