Migraines are known as vascular headaches. When a person has a migraine, the temporal artery enalrges and stretches the nerves that surround it. This action causes the nerves to release chemical transmitters which cause even MORE inflammation and enlargement.

Our bodies are designed with a symathetic nervous system which responds to pain, anxiety and stress. This systems is responsible for things like nausea and diarrhea. Because of its control over the bowels, the symathetic nervous system may prevent oral medications for migraines from being absorbed into the bloodstream.

Symptoms of migraine on-set include depression, fatigue, sleepiness, irritability and even an emotional ‘high’ or euphoric feelings.

Migraines are often found to occur after a time of conflict between the mental and emotional processes. Our brains are divided along the medial axis. Emotions and logical processes tend to operate is separate areas of the brain tissue. There is a wonderfully complex structure made of like a compacted ‘rope’ of nerve fibers that connect the two halves of the brain together.

When the brain attempts to process situations where the emotional and logical components may not be in harmony the electrical activity between the left and right sides becomes highly elevated in this connecting tissue. If resolution is not achieved, continued processing of the information can lead to vascular enlargement and pain within the nead.

Dr. Mathias book, In His Own Image, describes how to recognize and deal with these causes of migraine headaches.