Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Thirty-six million Americans suffer from migraines, a very painful type of headache that is often characterized by a throbbing pain in one side of the head, sensitivity to light and sound, and even nausea and vomiting. While the exact mechanism behind migraines is still debated, those who suffer can often identify headache triggers, such as hormonal changes (migraines are three times more common in women than men), foods, stress and changes in sleep pattern, reports the Mayo Clinic.

And this painful condition is more common than you’d think. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, more than 10 percent of the U.S. population suffers from migraines — nearly one in four households has someone with the condition.

Among those one in 10 are, inevitably, famous faces, including Janet Jackson, Cindy McCain and Troy Aikman. And for a condition that still battles a sharp stigma (one 2010 study, for instance, found that people with migraines report feeling more rejected and ridiculed than people with other neurological conditions, such as stroke or Parkinson’s), these voices are bringing awareness to an all-too-common, yet misunderstood, condition.
article taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com