Before diagnosing or treating any ailment, it is important to know the causes of the ailment. In most cases, migraines are caused due to excessive stress, hormonal changes, lack of nutritious food or hereditary. A neurologist is a right person who will be able to diagnose this condition for you looking at your medical records. The symptoms of migraines and a thorough examination will be able to tell you if the condition exists or not.

A lot of tests go into diagnosing the ailment like the blood test, MRI, CT scan, and lumbar puncture. These tests will reveal your body’s toxin level, infections, tumors, unusual bleeding, strokes, and neurological conditions.

What is a migraine?
It is a condition where a person gets a neurological disorder and feels recurrent severe headache on one side of the head. This headache is also accompanied by nausea and sensitivity towards light and sound. Also, it includes disturbance to flashes, bright colors, lights, and sounds.

Preventive measures and top treatments for migraines
A lot of preventive treatments and medications can get you a great relief from symptoms as well as stop future damage. In medical terms, the treatment can be classified into two categories:

Pain relieving medications – Also known as an acute treatment, this helps you in combating the pain during migraine attacks.

Six top treatments for migraines in the form of medicines are as follows:

Pain-killers –Neurologists prescribe drugs that are made especially for reducing migraine pain. Usually, these drugs are combined with aspirin, caffeine, and acetaminophen. Since they come with their side effects, it is suggested that long-term dosage of these drugs should be avoided.
Ergotamine –This medicine along with caffeine is effective if your pain lasts for more than 48 hours. Again it comes with side effects if taken in excess. Dihydroergotamine is derived from ergotamine, which is effective, but the side effects are less.
Tryptamine – This medicine constricts blood vessel and reduces pain effectively. It comes with side effects and therefore, it is not prescribed for people with heart issues.
Opioid and glucocorticoids – These medicines are prescribed for controlling severe pain although it is suggested they are taken in minimal doses to avoid side effects.
Anti-nausea –This drug is usually prescribed to reduce nausea with other medicines. Nausea is one of the biggest triggers to increase a migraine and it makes the person feel very uncomfortable and exhausted. Since nausea and pain are correlated, anti-nausea medicines should be given along with pain relief medicines.
Preventive medicines –These are prescribed to reduce the frequency of migraines on a daily dosage. These medicines include cardiovascular drugs, antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, and onabotulinumtoxin A (Botox).

Therapies and remedies that help treat a migraine

• Massage, acupuncture, biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy, and health supplement like herbs/vitamins/minerals are some of the great therapies recommended by therapists to treat migraines and severe pain.
• Amongst the top treatments for migraines are a lot of other remedies and techniques to reduce the painful migraines like practicing muscle relaxation exercises, peaceful sleeping hours and sleeping positions, yoga, resting and relaxation, and meditation.
• It is always advisable to write down the symptoms you are facing and treat them with patience because most of the treatment will take time to show reactions. Eating on time and following a healthy diet will keep migraines away as much as possible.
• Other top treatments for migraines include trigger management, dropping estrogen levels, avoiding alcohol consumption, avoiding smoking, having regular meals, limiting caffeine intake, using ice packs, taking vitamin B2 supplements, and taking antihypertensive.
• A list of non-traditional treatments for migraines includes butterbur, feverfew, and coenzyme q10, although studies done on these methods have shown both positive and negative results. Some patients do not consider taking prolonged and high dose medications. If you are one of those, then you can go ahead with Cefaly. Cefaly is a device that is worth trying. It is the first FDA approved device that helped a lot of adults in fighting migraines.

How does Cefaly work?
Cefaly is considered one of the top treatments for migraines. It is a portable and flexible headband that produces and transfers electrical impulses on the forehead. These impulses will stimulate the nerve that is connected with a headache. If the device is used for 20 minutes every day, it is observed that a migraine related headaches have consistently reduced. It works similar to massage and acupuncture.

Since most of the top treatments for migraines do have side effects if consumed regularly or on a high dosage, it is essential for one to consult a certified neurologist or a professional therapist before taking any of the medicines or painkillers.