Not chocolate, I eat it all the time! I'mtelling you, I know when a storm front is two days out. I know whenit's snowing in Denver." The doctor looked at me with something resembling interest for the first time."I've heard of that," he said, shocking me to my bones. "Changes inbarometric pressure, eh? We might be able to do something about that."Well, he was the only doctor I'd ever met who said that, I thought. Things suddenly looked brighter. No, he hadn't said for sure that hecould fix me, but hey, he didn't look at me like I was crazy, either...~(Anonymous Migraine Patient) Many migraine sufferers have attempted for years to tell doctorsthat they don't seem to have any of the triggers on the migraine list;rather, their vicious headaches seemed linked to weather patterns. Thisusually leads to skepticism, if not outright disbelief and dismissal ofmigraine claims. The frequently asked question is "OK, what kind of weather supposedly triggers these migraines of yours?"Problem with that question is, they don't like the answer: "Well, different kinds, really..." It's not the weather, precisely, you see. It's the change in theweather. When it's hot, but the wind picks up and the sky turns a funnycolor.
When it's cold and clear and still as can be, but the weekendforecast calls for snow. When it's so humid you can hardly breathe, andthe thunder keeps rumbling but the rain just won't start. Some people get headaches when it's too hot or too cold, if it'sstorming, if the sun is bright, if the wind blows too hard. Most,however, get migraines when the weather shifts from one extreme to theother, whether the change be in temperature, humidity levels orbarometric trigger sprayers with foam nozzle Suppliers pressure. A 2000 study at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canadatracked 75 migraine patients for two years.(*1) A specific weatherpattern known as the Chinook is particular to the region; warm westerlywinds flowing into the area from late fall to early spring can causeextreme changes in temperature and barometric pressure. There is arecorded instance of a temperature shift greater than 100 degrees F ina single day, and winds of over 100 miles per hour have also beendocumented.(*2) The migraine patients, aged 16 to 65, were asked to keep a detailedlog of the dates that they suffered migraines, the time the headachesstarted and ended, and the severity of the pain. The volunteers werenot told that the study was related to weather conditions. A team ofneurologists studied these records and matched the dates in the logswith weather records for the area that showed when the Chinook had beenblowing.32 of the 75 patients suffered migraines immediately preceding orduring Chinooks. This is a very high percentage for a condition mostphysicians until then had brushed aside as being 'all in the patient'shead'. Doctors finally had evidence for taking the idea seriously.
Most migraines that respond to medication can actually be avertedif the dosage is taken at the first warning signal that a migraine isabout to occur. There is hope that sufferers from weather relatedmigraines can stave of an attack simply by monitoring the weatherreports and taking medication when the conditions are preparing toundergo drastic change.So far several other studies have been done that seem to confirmthe Canadian university's results. However, several other medicalestablishments, the Mayo Clinic among them, ran their own study andsaid the results were inconclusive.(*3) Many migraine sufferers are now having their symptoms acknowledgedand treated, and can take steps to prevent or lessen theeffects of weather triggered migraines. Medication is one possibility,with propranolol being the most popular preventive medication forweather related migraines. Other avenues include relaxation techniques,massage, aromatherapy or even acupuncture or acupressure therapy. If you believe your migraine symptoms are weather related, startkeeping a log of your migraine attacks. Chart as much as you can asoften as you can; if your headaches turn out to not be triggered byweather changes, you might uncover another reason from data youcollect, if you include diet, sleeping patterns and stress levels aswell.Educate yourself by looking up various case studies and researchingthe different medications and techniques available to prevent and treatmigraines.
