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upplemental Reading
A
spirin may work well
for fighting minor headaches, but it may not be the
best choice for dealing with migraines. Doctors have found that after
treating a migraine sufferer with aspirin, the next
migraine attack becomes
stronger. Therefore, doctors have searched for other ways to treat migraines.
From brain research, doctors have learned that certain cells in parts of the
brain release proteins during a migraine attack. By using
a drug which acts like
the natural chemical serotonin in the brain, the cells can be stopped from
releasing protein. This has the effect of blocking the migraine. Now drug
companies are producing even better products developed from this idea.
However, the most effective of these drugs must
be taken as liquid and put
directly into the bloodstream. The drug is not yet available as a pill.
The above example is only one kind of medicine doctors have found useful
in fighting migraines. It also turns out that drugs used to fight depression work
well to relieve migraines. And surprisingly, some migraine
sufferers claim Botox
has proven helpful for them. (Botox is a chemical injected into the face for the
purpose of removing wrinkles.)
Not all migraine sufferers are turning to medicine for help with
their problem. Some of them use alternative remedies to fight
migraines. For example, many people
use yoga or meditation to
relieve stress and reduce the number of migraines they suffer. And
in some cases, people know that certain foods or fluorescent lights
trigger their migraines. These people simply try to avoid things
that set off migraine attacks.
