Pain tells us when something is wrong. It also protects us. If you shut your hand in the car door, your hand will hurt will swell up. The resulting inflammation is part of the healing process.

Your head is not so different. Pain is an early warning system for danger.

Many sufferers fail to spot the first stage of a migraine: the prodrome phase. It is characterized by pronounced yawning, drowsiness, food craving, sensitivity to light, increased thirst, or blurred vision. These symptoms can happen days or hours before the onset of a migraine.

Th...

• The classic migraine. Some notice it as an 'aura' - the sensory disturbance might be visual or feel like pins and needles.
• The common migraine is without the auras.
• An ocular migraine is when you experience the aura withou...

The hallmark of the migraine attack is a wave of excitation across the brain quickly followed by a wave of inactivity.

The neurochemical changes associated with these waves cause the blood vessels to narrow in the head. Since a lack of blood-flow in the head can be deadly,...