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Migraines strike roughly 25 million Americans and another 13 million might go undiagnosed. Women are three times as likely to be stricken. Migraines are most common in people between the ages of 12 and 40, although they have been diagnosed in children as young as age 3.

What is a migraine? While the cause of a migraine still remains a mystery, how it affects the body does not. The following occurs in roughly 80% of migraine sufferers. During a migraine blood flow is increased as a result of widening blood vessels in the brain.

The following are a list of symptoms migraine suffers often experience:
Nausea
Chills
Anorexia
Vomiting
Photophobia
Constipation
Phonophobia
Vertigo
Pallor
Tremor
Diaphoresis
Anxiety/Mood Changes
Altered Sense of Smell and/or Taste
Cool Hands and/or Feet
Neck and/or Scalp Tension
Fluid Retention
Visual Disturbances

So are you one of those 13 million people who have yet to be diagnosed? There are actually two types of migraines, those with auras and those without. An aura is a group of symptoms, mostly visual, that develops before the headache actually starts. The following are some of the criteria your doctor will use to see if you are suffering from migraines:

With an Aura, they should be at least two attacks, where three of the following occur:
One or more fully reversible aura symptoms occur, indicating brain dysfunction
At least one aura symptom develops gradually over more than four minutes, or two or more symptoms occur in succession
No single aura symptom lasts more than 60 minutes.
Headache follows aura with an interval of less than 60 minutes. The headache may also begin before, or simultaneously with, the aura.
History, physical examination, and, where appropriate, diagnostic tests exclude a secondary cause.
ithout an Aura where at least five attacks that meet the following criteria:
Headache lasting four to 72 hours (untreated or unsuccessfully treated)
Headache with at least two of the following characteristics: unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate or severe intensity (inhibits or prohibits daily activities), nd/or aggravation by walking stairs, or similar routine activity
During headache, one or more of the following occurs: nausea and/or vomiting, abnormal sensitivity to light, and/or abnormal sensitivity to sound.
At least one of the following is present: history, physical and neurological examinations do not suggest an organic disorder; history and/or physical and/or neurological examinations do suggest such a disorder, but it is ruled out by appropriate investigations; such a disorder is present, but migraine attacks do not occur for the first time in close temporal relation to the disorder.

So what can be done? Unfortunately there really is no cure. Medications can help reduce the duration of the attacks, help treat the symptoms, and perhaps, help prevent further migraines from occurring.

Migraines are often “triggered”. That is something that starts the entire process. The following are some potential triggers:
Stress
Depression
Relief of Stress
Missed Meals
Lack of Sleep
Certain Foods (such as cheese and/or chocolate)
Menstruation

Because migraines are often the result of one of the above, the sufferer may actually be their best doctor. By keeping a diary or journal, they might be able to pinpoint triggers factors. Thus, if it’s food induced, then avoid those foods. Often a journal can help you and/or your doctor identify some common denominators.
In the meantime, rest assured that medical science is working feverishly on curing this sometimes disabling headache and that there are new discoveries on this front all the time.