Migraine patients should pay extra attention during summer.

Experts stating that one out of every 5 women and one out of every 10 men in Turkey suffer from migraines warned that if migraines are left untreated, they could seriously harm a person’s quality of life. Migraine is described by experts as a special type of headache that results from a series of chemical changes in the brain. They mentioned that the pain usually starts from one side of the head, is severe, throbbing, lasts for at least 4 hours, and is accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, sound, smell, and touch. This disease ranks among the top 10 diseases that impair people’s quality of life in our country and worldwide. In Turkey, one-tenth of children and adolescents and one-fifth of young people suffer from migraine-related headaches. Some triggers in individuals with a genetic predisposition lead to the release of brain chemicals that cause migraine attacks. Hormones, hunger, stress, disrupted sleep patterns, various foods, inadequate water intake, climate changes, and unsuitable environmental conditions in terms of light-sound-smell are some of these triggers.
Specialist doctors emphasize that migraine treatment will not be successful unless it involves interventions targeting brain chemicals. They stated that raising awareness of the patient, regulating lifestyle, and treating migraines with medication or non-drug interventions can be effective. Unscientific practices such as leech therapy, cupping, and homeopathy have no proven benefits. Migraine is a health problem that must be treated because chronic migraine is listed among the top 10 diseases requiring emergency intervention according to the World Health Organization report. It has been reported that the quality of life is severely affected in over 25% of patients and more than 65% of patients experience work-related issues due to migraine attacks. In the United States, $40 million is spent annually for such patients, while in Europe, the figure is $50 million. In the UK, approximately 100,000 people cannot go to school or work daily.
During the summer months, experts are advising extra caution for migraine patients. They recommend migraine patients to wear a hat, use sunglasses, and avoid walking when the sun is at its peak during the summer. Additionally, exercising at home, drinking plenty of water, reducing coffee intake, and maintaining a daily routine as much as possible will help alleviate the pain. It should be noted that stress can trigger migraines, but migraine is not fundamentally a type of pain defined as psychological.