The word migraine comes from the Greek word hemikrania which means "an affection of half of the head." Contrary to the popular belief, a migraine is not a bad headache. It is a diseases and headache is only one of its symptoms. Migraine pain is caused by vasodilation in the cranial blood vessels which means expansion of blood vessels. The excruciating head pain is caused due to neurogenic inflammation which is inflammation of the tissue surrounding the brain. The reason for migraines being misunderstood for headaches are that it is one of the most misdiagnosed and mistreated diseases. In fact the article Migraines: Myth Vs. Reality, Michael John Coleman and Terri Miller Burchfield state that around 60% of women and 70% men with Migraine have never been diagnosed with the disease. .
Migraines generally occur on one side of the head. This headache typically is accompanied by nausea, vomiting or loss of appetite. There are two unique symptoms for migraines, prodrome and auras. Prodome is an unusual sensation of fatigue, hunger and nervousness which gives a person a feeling that a migraine is going to occur. In an aura a person would develop distorted vision for around 15 to 30 minutes which is like an alert signal that a migraine is on its way. Sometimes migraines can cause numbness, weakness, tingling or passing out.
Stress is believed to play an important role in provoking migraines. Stress causes high hormonal tensions. These hormonal tensions produce unneeded chemicals imbalances which increase blood flow to the brain and hence cause migraines.
Though the exact cause of migraines is not known, there are a few theories to explain it. Central Nervous Disorder is a theory that states that the migraine process begins with over-excitation of nerve cells. The excitation triggers the release of certain protein fragments called peptides. The peptides produce inflammatory response that spreads to the membrane covering the brain which causes a migraine.