Phillip Holt's World

As I searched for the reasons why people, or myself in particular, had attacks of  migraines on a non scientific basis, just by observation, I was convinced it had something to do with the build-up of wrong chemicals in the brain, thus effecting the firing of the neurons or brain cells, plus the blood supply to the brain.

I had observed that on the now rare occasions I had an attack of migraine, I was not drinking, therefore I was dehydrated, and not washing away the unwanted chemicals, the body waste.

As I had a migraine, I also observed that the blood vessels at the side of the head, the temples, were more pronounced, they stood out. At the moment as I run my finger tips over the temples I can feel no blood vessels. Therefore migraine could be a vascular disorder.

This months (July 2008) Scientific American, published an article by David W. Dodick and J. Jay Gargus entitled “Why Migraines Strike“.

In this article they describe the various symptoms reported by sufferers, and the old views, as was mine that migraines were cause by blood pressure. But with new technology and research, brain imaging, molecular biology and genetics, new understanding has emerged, and from these new understandings possible new treatments.

They now know that prior to a migraine attack, there could be an increase of up to 300% in blood supply, and then a drop to near normal or below. So yes blood circulation is a factor, but read on.

Prior to the pain part of the disorder, sufferers often describe visual disturbances, flashing lights, distortion, blank fields of vision, hallucinations or “aura’s“. This is obviously the functionality of the brain, misfiring of the neurons, messages not being transmitted across the brain or incorrect messages.

What they have observed as aura’s. occur, is that in the outer layer of the brain, the cortex, there is an increase of activity, a “brainstorm“, which is also called a cortical spreading depression. This will involve an increase in the blood circulation, as the neurons are highly active. As this depression or hyperexcitability passes, there is a drop in blood demand. This spreading depression across the cortex is quite slow, quoted as 2 – 3 millimeters a minute, thus the aura. effect lasting for say an hour.

When neurons fires, activates, pass-on or transmit information to another neuron, they do so by an electrical charge. This is produced by the neuron releasing neurotransmitters, resulting in the flow of sodium and calcium flowing into membranes and potassium irons to flow out in the opposite direction, thus creating an electrical charge.

The aura  effect could be due to disturbances in this transmission system and could be from inherited genes.

It is known that the brain itself has no pain receptors, but one part does. It is known as the trigeminal nervous system. The trigeminal nucleus is located in the brain stem and passes signals through the thalamus, up into the sensory cortex, the part of the brain we have conscious awareness.

The cortical speading depression or “brainstorm” described above, sends signals down to the trigeminal nucleus, through the thalamus into the sensory cortex, thus the pain suffered by migraine sufferers.

The chemicals involved in this transmission are believed to include ions, glutamate and nitric oxide.

Other investigations reveal activity in the brain stem region, the locus coeeuleus, raphe nucleus and the periaqueductal gray, could cause the transmission of pain to the sensory cortex. Also the regions of the limbic and paralimbic cortices can transmit signals resulting in the pain. The later region of the brain regulating mood, arousal and attention, the former, being stimulated by light, smell and sounds.

This new understanding of the workings of the brain durring a migraine attack, is helping the development of new drugs and treatments, which will inhibit the cortical speading depression, the firing if the trigeminal nervous system, and the action of neurotransmitters, and that migraine does exist.

I hope that I have been able to impart some understanding of migraine to you, and that I was not far from the mark in my own observations, that it is a biological process, that is beginning to be understood.

See previous articles.
            The start of my migraines. 
            My migraines get worse as I search for a cure. 
            Further knowledge on Migraines

Over the next few years, the migraines became worse. I started getting them nearly every week on a Thursday, but what caused them? Why every Thursday?

I checked what I consumed, the food, drinks. I had nothing different on a Thursday than any other day. The only difference was that we had a double history class at the college I was attending, The Staffordshire College of Commerce in Wednesbury. I did not like the teacher, there was something wrong with him, I am sure.

I had been sent to have my eyes checked and prescribed glasses. These were later proved to be totally useless, as the optician put it, my eyes had 20/20 vision and the glasses I had been given were as good as bottle tops.

I had been sent to have a scull x-ray to see if I had brain damage. Nothing.

I had been sent to have an electroencephalogram (EEG) on my brain, which only sent the needles off the chart as I nashed my teeth together.

I was sent to migraine clinics. They found nothing.

I just had to get on with it and suffer.

Was it something psychological? I took myself off to a psychiatrist privately. He just talked to me, but made me realise certain things about the human way of thinking or seeing the world and people living in it. No pills, just talk.

My cousin Avryl, took me to a Spiritualist Church, and I had experiences which were very strange. You will have to attend my courses (www.nlpnow.net) to learn about these from my metaphors or stories I tell. But the strange thing was my migraines abated, they became less.

From the beginning I was given pills by my doctor to take when I was about to have an attack, but they did little to help. Stemetil, an anti nausea drug, and Amytal or Amobarbital, a barbiturate that is used for the treatment of insomnia (difficulty in sleeping) and as a sedative to relieve the symptoms of anxiety or tension.

I knew when I was going to get one as my vision started to go strange what is know as aura. I would miss part of my vision, perhaps looking at a persons face, I would see one eye and not the other, I had blind spots. That was the signal to get home quickly. Other sufferers have flashing lights and other vision defects.

There was nothing I could do but get to bed, with a bucket, and let the attack, the process, work itself through, until I vomited, at which time I would sleep for a few hours.

Upon awakening, I would be washed out, as if I had just got over the flu, but for some reason, I had a desire for a bacon sandwich, on soft white bread.

I have heard people say “Oh I have a migraine“, when all they have is a headache. There are many signs for migraine which will show more symptoms than a headache

A migraine is a severe headache that often has a number of associated symptoms, such as nausea, increased sensitivity, and visual problems.

On a couple of occasions when people have observed me having an attack, like when I was not allowed to go home from work as they did not believe me, soon realise how people can suffer.

It was after a number of years that the attacks started to become less frequent, so much so that they virtually disappeared, having perhaps one a year.

It is known that migraines occur mostly in the age range of 15 and 55, and of those sufferers, two-thirds are women, and may decease with age.

Whilst talking to a fellow NLP Trainer who is also a qualified chiropractor, I started a migraine, and I realised that for me that I had not been drinking enough water, was that a possible cause of migraine, dehydration. I drank lots of water, and the symptoms were eased. Perhaps there is a chemical imbalance in the body that is caused by dehydration?

My Chiropractor friend also helped by placing pressure in the small valley just above the left knee, which caused a sharp pain.

My NLP and hypnosis training, helped me visualise complete relaxation and to be pain free.

But my worse attack in recent years occurred whilst I was in hospital having an investigation for my angiogram. On this procedure the blood was thinned and other chemicals were placed in the blood stream, allowing the doctors to observe the blood vessels of the heart. Was it tension, worry, or the chemicals? I do not know, but the effect of the resulting migraine frightened me.

I took a tablet prescribed to relieve the migraine, (a Triptan), and went to bed, trying to sleep. To distract my mind I listened to an F1 racing broadcast on the radio, and as I listened, I knew they were talking about Ferrari, but what was a Ferrari? I knew it was red but in one mind I could see it, yet in another mind it was not there.

They were talking about David Coultard, but who was he? I knew I knew, but somehow did not know, and could not access the information, although I knew I knew.

Was I having a stroke or was it just my brain playing tricks due to all the chemicals swimming about in my body?

Thankfully, I have not had a stroke.

Lesson. Do not mix medications.

So, what is and causes migraines?

I was convinced from my own attacks it was caused by increased blood pressure, and imbalance of the body’s chemicals.

This has been the view also of the medical world.

Other causes can be:-

    Stress. Tension. Major drop in estrogen. Alcohol. Monosodium glutamate. Chocolate. Coffee.
    Skipping meals or fasting. Bright lights and sun glare. Smells. Too much sleep. Missing sleep.
    Exercise. Weather. Medications.

Previous article.    The start of my migraines.
Next article.         Migraine, an understanding, a cure 

I had been swimming with a friend, Ronald Rose, to the Walsall swimming baths one Saturday. I must have been about fifteen years old. We were on the number 5 bus going home towards Sankeys Corner, Chase Terrace, when I started to loose certain parts of my vision, I was getting blind spots, auras.

Once off the bus, I started to feel very strange, detached from the real world, my depth of field was not correct, when I went to touch something, I missed it, the item was further away.

I started to get “pins and needles” or tingling sensations in my hands, my tongue, spreading around my whole body.

I got to my Uncle Jack’s house, and I slumped down in his back yard. Poor man he did not know what to do.

What was happening to me?

My father was sent for, as I was now complaining of severe pains in my head, I wanted to pull one of my eyes out, as it seemed someone was stabbing me with daggers.

My father arrived in a big dirty coal lorry, ready to make its’ next delivery, and I was loaded aboard to be taken home, my colour gray turning to green, and the doctor called.

By this time I had emptied my insides, evacuating top and bottom, and all I wanted to do was to sleep, but still in great pain, especially the eyes.

The doctor made many tests as friends and relatives gathered to see what was happening to me, to offer support to my mother and father.

Thankfully, it was nothing more than migraine, a disease that strikes millions of people around the world (300 million, Scientific American, August 2008).

The whole incident lasted a few hours, and the effects of feeling as if I had just gotten over the flu, drained, weak, lifeless, lasted about a day.

I was the start of the time in my life which led to me having a migraine? attack nearly every week, on a Thursday. A period which was to last a number of years, but was to cease, to only a very infrequent attack.

But what causes migraines? Have they found the answers to migraines?

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