What is a chronic migraine?
Migraines are tremendously painful headaches. Patients dealing with migraines usually seek professional medical assistance to alleviate the pain as over-the-counter drugs might be inadequate. According to medical statistics, women are more susceptible to migraines than men.
Migraines are categorized into two forms, i.e., episodic and chronic. Episodic migraines intermittently occur, i.e., there are long gaps between every migraine attack. These could be quantified into a period of numerous weeks and months. Conversely, chronic migraine is characterized by the health condition of experiencing headaches for more than half the time of the month. Apart from frequent occurrences, such types of migraines can last for hours. Episodic migraines, in due course, might advance to the chronic stage.
Symptoms of chronic migraines
If you already suffer from episodic migraines, then you must be aware of the symptoms of chronic migraines. This is because you have a fair chance of acquiring them in the future. Recognizing the signs of a chronic migraine at an early stage will help you take timely and effective measures.
The most apparent symptom is experiencing headaches for more than 15 days every month.
Chronic migraines might get aggravated after carrying out simple physical activities. The pain can also worsen after persistent coughing, sharp movements, etc.
Along with severe headaches, you could also experience neck stiffness, body weakness, slurring of speech, confusion, sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds, and variations in vision.
If this scenario occurs for more than two or three months, then you must immediately consult your doctor.
Understanding the causes of chronic migraines
A chronic migraine is a complex health condition that varies from person to person. Therefore, there is no concrete reason for its occurrence. There are multiple factors that need to be considered for an individual to be correctly diagnosed. However, you need to be mindful of the most common causes of chronic migraines to effectively manage your condition on a personal level.
Genetic factors
If your biological parent has suffered from chronic migraines in the past, your vulnerability to getting it increases too. These can start from right from childhood or develop after a certain age during adulthood.
Imbalance in brain chemicals
For a brain to operate smoothly, it requires a proportionate amount of brain chemicals. If there is any form disparity occurring in the brain chemicals, then it can possibly prompt an event of a chronic migraine.
Neurological disorders
Any form of an existing neurological disorder can aggravate a chronic migraine. Therefore, it is important to get your migraine diagnosed as it might not just be a health condition in itself but a symptom of a more complex medical issue.
Psychological problems
Stress, depression, and anxiety can give rise to chronic migraines. Such mental issues can also result in excessive sleeping or sleep deprivation, worsening the situation. If you have been dealing with similar mental ordeals, then instantly seek professional assistance.
Medications
Certain types of medications such as vasodilators are used for patients dealing with cardiovascular diseases or high blood pressure. Such drugs enlarge blood vessels to facilitate easy blood flow. These drugs end up affecting the blood flow in the brain as well, which can activate persistent events of migraine attacks. To tackle this problem, ask your doctor to make some necessary adjustments in your medicines.
Hormonal fluctuations
One reason for a migraine being more common in women is because they experience monthly hormonal fluctuations in the form of menstrual periods. During or around this time, women can experience multiple instances of migraines. Apart from menstruation, migraines can occur in women who are going through menopause or are on a prescribed course of hormonal therapy.
Foods and drinks
Your dietary habits widely affect how your body responds and manages health conditions like migraines. For example, foods containing refined sugars, high sodium, spicy food, dairy, and caffeine, can intensify the frequency of migraine attacks. Therefore, diligently observe your food regime to avoid ingredients that affect your chronic migraine. Likewise, eating patterns also matter, so avoid skipping meals and binge eating and drinking.
Environmental changes
Moving to a new place or sudden alterations in the weather can trigger a chronic migraine.
Physical exertion
Working for long hours or excessive workout sessions can create physical stress, which eventually leads to the occurrence of chronic migraines.
Apart from the abovementioned causes, chronic migraines could be an aftermath of traumatic brain injuries or bacterial infections.
To manage chronic migraines, you must start by identifying your causes. This will help you and the specialist to profile your condition in an improved manner. Along with prescription medications and therapies, you can also make certain lifestyle changes. These could include a personalized diet, exercising, and decreasing stress. Lastly, remember to not use over-the-counter medicines without medical consultation for migraines.
The skin barrier, known as the stratum corneum, is the outermost layer of one’s skin. It serves two purposes. Being the outermost layer, it reflects a person’s appearance and quality of health to the external world. Furthermore, it is the body’s first line of defense against weather elements and pathogens. However, due to this, the skin barrier is often prone to damage. In such scenarios, the skincare tips mentioned below might come handy.
Some natural products like aloe vera and lavender benefit the skin due to their extensive healing abilities. Aloe vera-based organic creams and products use their soothing and skin-repairing capabilities to mend damaged skin barriers quickly. Aloe vera has outstanding healing abilities that repair sun damage too. Many dermatologists advise people with sunburns to use aloe-infused creams to heal their skin. Aloe has chemical properties that help keep the skin elastic and moisturized. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and acts as a moisturizing ingredient in many skincare items.
Similarly, lavender-based products effectively address one’s damaged skin barrier and similar issues. Lavender oil is famous for its powerful antifungal and antibacterial qualities. Many skin experts advise using lavender oil for diseases like eczema and psoriasis as it can treat symptoms such as itching and inflammation properly. Besides these qualities, lavender speeds up the healing and regeneration of damaged skin tissue.
A lack of moisture in the skin is one of the primary reasons the skin barrier suffers damage. Therefore, moisturizing is the most crucial part of repairing the skin barrier gradually. You can use organic moisturizers for this purpose. Also, moisturizing must be done regularly, as doing it occasionally can cause the hydration to evaporate through the damaged skin barrier. Using a moisturizer regularly helps to seal these barriers and cracks and prevent the skin from losing more water than necessary. Retaining water in this way helps people maintain a soft and luscious texture for their skin.
The skin needs to be hydrated regularly, so depriving it of water can be one of the primary reasons for damaged skin barriers.
Most people may overlook the sensitivity aspect of their skin and over-wash and over-exfoliate it as a part of their daily routine. However, these actions can cause damage to one’s skin barrier. To avoid this, one can wash their face using a cleanser once every day. As stated earlier, cleansing and moisturizing are essential, but doing so with rampant regularity can damage surface-level skin tissue. Therefore, exfoliation should be done only once a week. Additionally, replace physical scrubs with exfoliants that are milder on the skin.
Hot showers may be refreshing and cleansing for the skin, but overexposure to steaming hot water for long periods can have debilitating effects on one’s skin. The excessive heat carried by hot water causes the skin layer tissues, nutrients, and natural oils to wither away. These elements safeguard one’s skin, so having frequent hot showers can cause skin barrier damage through the loss of these protective layers.
To avoid this problem, one can take hot showers only if necessary. One can also use lukewarm water instead of piping hot water for showers. Doing so would bring about minor, incomprehensible changes to one’s daily life but will massively benefit one’s skin.
The pH level of one’s skin determines how acidic or basic the skin barrier is. Ideally, a pH of 7, which is neither too acidic nor too basic, is preferable in any bodily area. Detergents tend to cause skin issues due to their volatile pH. They generally cause the skin to lose its natural oils and leave the barrier dry and, more worryingly, exposed to irritation and damage. Detergents increase the alkaline (basic) levels in a person’s skin, which disrupt the skin’s natural development and other processes.
Therefore, one needs to use organic or mild chemical skincare products and tools that do not increase the acidity or alkaline levels of one’s skin barrier.
One of the significant causes of skin barrier damage is a poor skincare routine. One of the best ways to streamline one’s skincare routine is to reduce the number of products from one’s daily usage list. Using several products can irritate one’s skin.
After this, one needs to simplify their skincare routine. It involves using only those products that are beneficial for the skin and eliminating those that may be surplus to requirements. One needs to hydrate their skin with water regularly for maximum moisture retention and skin flexibility.
Exposure to sun rays and UV radiation is a significant cause of skin barrier damage in individuals. One needs to be prepared to face the sun before leaving their house. An ideal way to do that is through SPF sunscreen usage every day. Ideally, the SPF rating of such creams should be more than 30 to have positive protective effects against the unforgiving sun rays.
Ideally, one must use organic sunscreen that does not contain many chemicals to keep their skin protected and healthy.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a severe, long-term lung condition that includes chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. The disease makes it difficult for the air to pass through the airways comfortably, leading to obstructive breathing. According to studies, chronic lower respiratory diseases, including COPD, are the leading causes of death in the country. While the illness is manageable, COPD flare-ups can cause discomfort. Here’s what you need to know about the condition and its management options.
Types of COPD
COPD flare-ups
If one experiences shortness of breath, excessive wheezing or coughing, or producing more phlegm, one might have a COPD flare-up, also called an exacerbation. The symptoms of the disease are visibly worse than usual and require additional treatment. While the intensity of the flare-up ranges from moderate to severe, frequent exacerbation can cause lung damage which can be irreversible.
Signs and symptoms
Some of the signs of a flare-up include fever, scratchy throat, and other similar signs of cold, swollen ankles, coughing with mucus that is green, tan, or red in color, fatigue, unusual sleepiness or drowsiness, and a confused state of mind.
Some signs of an emergency include drowsiness, chest pains, shortness of breath, lips or fingers turning blue, or inability to think clearly. An emergency treatment kit may help, but if the symptoms worsen, consult a doctor at the earliest.
Treatment options
While some lifestyle changes may help manage the illness, treatment plans may help control the flare-ups to a great extent.
Preventive measures
Some preventive measures to ensure the flare-ups are not as frequent or severe include getting a flu shot (against pneumonia), avoiding big gatherings or crowds, washing hands regularly, and avoiding the use of fragrant cleaning products or perfumes.