Kokova Magazine

Run by national charity Migraine Action, Migraine Awareness Week (MAW) runs annually from the first Sunday of September to raise awareness and encourage those affected to seek help to manage their migraine.

This year the week takes place from Sunday 4th – Saturday 10th September 2011.

In addition to general awareness raising activities, the week will see the presentation of Migraine Action’s 'Migraine Heroes Healthcare Awards 2011: Eight category winners (nominated by migraineurs themselves) will be presented with awards.

Categories include Best Employer, Best GP, Best Carer and the Young Migraineur Star award, nominated by those aged under 18 years.

Migraine Action is hosting an education day for those with the condition in Wakefield on Saturday 10th September with expert medical speakers (and an event for GPs and other healthcare professionals in the city of Friday 9th September).

Migraine Action is also asking those with an interest in migraine to host a fundraising coffee morning during the week to help it raise funds to continue its vital work.

Migraine Action is a national membership based charity (with 4,000 members) offering support and information to people with migraine throughout the UK.

It runs a telephone helpline, hosts education days around the UK, gives workplace assessments for employers and has produced numerous resources to help children and adults with migraine. It works to raise awareness of the condition and also funds research into the cause and treatment of migraine.

• An estimated 1 in 7 people in the UK suffer from migraine, making it more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined
• It affects people of all ages (even young children), of all social classes, and over twice as many women as men
• The World Health Organisation has classified migraine amongst the top 20 most disabling lifetime conditions
• Attacks can last for between 4 and 72 hours with sufferers experiencing an average of 13 attacks each year
• Migraine is more than just a headache; the condition affects the whole body. Other symptoms can include: visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and smell, confusion, speech difficulties and numbness of the limbs
• Migraine is triggered by a huge variety of factors (not just cheese, chocolate or red wine) and is very individual. For most people there is not just one trigger but a combination of factors which individually can be tolerated, but when they occur together a threshold is passed and a migraine is triggered. Stress, irregular eating and sleeping patterns and dehydration are common triggers
• There is currently no cure for migraine, however, lifestyle factors, such as healthy eating and regular sleeping patterns, can make a big difference to migraine management
• Many migraineurs do require medication / treatment of some form and there is now a wide range available. These include simple over the counter analgesics and prescription preventative medications, through to Botox® and greater optical nerve injections for those with more severe and regular migraines

Migraine and food

• Dehydration is one of the most common migraine triggers – try to drink at least 2 litres of water each day to help reduce your changes of an attack
• Many migraineurs find that certain foods can be a trigger (or part of their trigger factors) for them. To help identify if any foods are a trigger for you keep a migraine diary (available from Migraine Action’s website). Don’t avoid foods just because you have heard they can be a trigger for other people
• Common migraine trigger foods include chocolate, alcohol, pork, seafood, onions, marmite, wheat, drinks containing caffeine, citrus fruits, chocolate, cheese and other diary products, foods with MSG, aspartame…
• Eat regularly and avoid sugary snacks to keep blood sugar levels stable. Try not to go longer than 4 hours during the day and 12 hours overnight between food
• Never skip breakfast and eat at least an hour and half before exercising
• Some people experience food cravings prior to a migraine attack and then look bad and see this particular food as the culprit. In fact the migraine may already have been starting and the craving is a symptom of the attack rather than the cause

You can purchase a copy of Migraine Action's 'Migraine and Food' information leaflet from the online shop at www.migraine.org.uk/shop (a nominal fee of £1.00 helps Migraine Action create additional leaflets in the future).

People can find out more about Migraine Awareness Week by visiting www.migraine.org.uk/maw