There’s no cure for migraines, and no cause that’scompletely understood yet.

That said, we do know some of what goes on in the body and brain during a migraine.

It’s also thought that this stage implies some triggers are misunderstood.

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Say, for example, you get migraines after you eat a chocolate bar.

Was it a craving?

The aura

About a third of the people who suffer from migraines developwhat’s called an aura.

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Think of a blistering, boiling parking lot on a hot, sunny day.

Those wavy, hazy lines that you see?

That’s what an aura can look like.

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When the pulse hits the part of the brain that governs your sense of touch, your skin tingles.

When it hits your visual control centers, you see the lines.

Once the electrical waves stop, the aura goes away.

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The pain phase

First, a bitabout the basics.

People can report all, none, or part of these symptoms, and the really strange part?

Why figuring out triggers is so complicated

It seems like it should be a straightforward thing.

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You’re exposed to a trigger, and that sets you on the path to a full-blown migraine.

Is it the red wine, or the period that’s triggering your headaches?

Maybe you love white wine, but it sometimes seems to give you migraines.

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Sometimes you’re free to have a glass and be fine, but a couple nights later?

Is it the wine, or the night that you skipped a glass that’s causing your migraine?

The truth is that no one’s really sure how factorscome togetherto set off a migraine.

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Occasionally, some migraine sufferers seem to develop what’s called infarct-like lesions.

For some women, takingbirth control pillscan help regulate migraines.

The implications are pretty staggering and suggest that regulating estrogen levels might help to prevent headaches.

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