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aura, brain blood flow, Finger tapping stops migraine, headache, Migraine, prodrome, Scientific American
[Update May-26-2012 Please try this new migraine treatment. I created it last month. It is based on induced artery dilation, and let me know how it works. It cured my prodrome in a minute or two, whereas the ice-pack, and finger tapping treatment described below has been taking ten minutes to half an hour. That’s better than just going to bed untreated which takes an hour, but the new method linked above was the best yet.]
Recently I had a migraine aura attack which responded well to an ice pack placed at the back of my head. The migraine problem is reported by about one quarter of people at some time in their lives. Over the years I have experienced them occasionally, and they generally last about half an hour. The event usually begins when I am reading a magazine or working on the computer. The very first symptom is a fogginess of the word that is being looked at as my eyes scan along the text. After about a minute that expands to an area about the size of my little fingernail held at arm’s length that starts glowing with a middle gray quality. As it becomes difficult to keep reading, or writing with this problem floating around in the center of my vision. I will go into my darkened bedroom, and lie down on my back, and just relax with my eyes closed, and idly watch the aura grow into colorful dancing hodgepodge of lines flickering in a rainbow like arc around my central vision similar to the illustration above. As this rainbow grows in size it moves out from the central area of vision, and I can see moderately well again there in the central area, but the area where the dancing rainbow is located is totally blind to the world beyond. The rainbow is as opaque as if it were a solid object held in front of my eyes. By shifting my eyes about it is possible to see almost everything beyond the rainbow, but it is difficult to read. About thirty minutes after first noticing the blurriness the rainbow has usually expanded to the periphery of my vision where it lingers for a while, and by that time the central vision is normal again. After forty minutes the episode is usually gone. During this whole event I could carry on more or less normally with some work if there was no reading required, and could probably convince most people that nothing unusual was happening to me. I avoid driving at this time, not because I couldn’t do it, but because of the possibility of something happening well off to the side which should be attended to but which wasn’t seen, because of the opaque rainbow blocking the view. This blocked vision problem is equivalent to the post between the cars windshield, and the door. I get these events a couple of times a year usually in the late afternoon or early evening while reading.
In the current Scientific American there was a report on migraine headaches. It said a brain scan was being done on a person while they had a migraine event. It showed increased blood flow at the very back of the brain in the visual areas during the attack. A few days after reading that article, when I had a migraine coming on, I decided to conduct an experiment by cooling that part of my head with the hope that constricting the blood vessels would slow the blood flow, and stop the migraine attack. I used an ice pack which was already stored in the freezer. The pack was applied to the back of my head about two minutes after I first noticed the migraine coming on just about the time the dancing rainbow was forming near the center of my vision. I lay down in bed with the pack between the back of my head, and the pillow. It was too cold being directly on my skin so after a minute I put a single layer of wool sweater between it, and my head, and rocked my head slowly back and forth over the cold spot. That seemed to be about right for the maximum tolerable cooling. I just lay there as usual, but with the back of my head being chilled while I watched the rainbow dancers. I tried to observe if anything different was happening.
The rainbow dancers soon turned into gray dancers, and the arc expanded outward in the usual way but noticeably sooner than expected. The whole event was over in about ten minutes rather than the typical thirty or forty minutes, but it didn’t seem possible so I lay there for the usual forty minutes. Having nothing much to do I started putting the ice pack on the bald spot on the top of my head to see how much cold pain there was in doing that. Actually there was quite a bit of pain, but because it was under my control it didn’t seem intolerable. However, if it were not controlled or very long lasting it would have become very painful, and very annoying.
The results from this single experiment seem to be that the cold did affect the migraine, and it did go away quicker. As they say, further funding is needed for further research. There is a possible down side to the experiment because I did get a mild headache an hour later which seemed to be caused by a stiffness in the back of my neck. This report is a bit loose, and anecdotal because it is just a recalling of the event after it happened so the next time it happens I will take the MP3 recorder, and do a voice recording of the entire event as it happens. That way after this migraine aura happens there will be a more accurate description of the events, their timing and exactly what I am doing at any given time.
The blog World thru my eyes at wordpress has a list of 10 tips to fight Migraine. One suggestion I would have would be on tip # X where, “All you need is a package of frozen peas wrapped in a towel.” This is a flexible icepack, better than the rigid one I used, but rather than, “placing it on the forehead” as recommended in that blog, the new research mentioned at the top of this current posting says the weird excessive blood flow is at the very back of the head, and so the results would probably be better if applied there rather than on the forehead. That is what I did, and it seemed to work.
If you try this, and it works or doesn’t work leave a comment as it may be found to be helpful to the billions of other migraine sufferers. Another option that might influence blood flow at the back of the head is to tap back of the head, and rub of the head, and neck vigorously for ten seconds with the flats of all of the spread out fingers. Do this once a minute when the migraine is first noticed, at the very beginning of the episode. Keep doing this tapping procedure for as long as the aura or prodrome lasts. Please let me know if this works as it seemed to help today as it appears that I am having a migraine swarm, but this tapping seemed to stop it and nothing happened. Maybe nothing was going to happen, and I just thought it might. If several people test this out maybe we can discover if it works or not.
Personal comment: One month later. It appears that a migraine swarm was in progress when the original post was written, and over the course of the ensuing month there were several times when an aura appeared to be starting. The icepack procedure wasn’t attempted again instead what was done was the tapping on the back of the head rather vigorously with the outstretched finger pads for about fifteen seconds per minute. That appeared to be sufficient to improve the blood flow from what ever it was that was causing the migraine, but there were none to report. Once again this was limited to personal experience, and needs to be corroborated by others so please send a comment if you have some experience either of it working or of it not working.
[Update from 2012/05/11 – Migraine prodrome miracle cure mabye please try it and comment. This method used hot water held in the mouth to dilate the arteries in the head, which combined with the cold pack contracting arteries on the back of the head might stop the excess blood flow to the visual centers in the back of the head. ]
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Hi, thanks for linking my blog. This is a very insightful post! Hope everyone benefits out of it :)
iEyvqA comment2 ,
What none of you seem to be mentioning is that migraine with aura beforehand is actually caused by breathing through the mouth by a person who is unfit.. If you actually change to creating through your nose only and keep fit by gym or walking and at all times remember to breath in through the nose even if only speaking.. See the breathing through the mouth causes the blood cells in the eyes to swell to double size and that causes the aura which to me is the worse part.. And the bizarre loss of coordination.. I always think i’m having a stroke.. But yeah.. Since my doctor told me about the breathing i’ve had no migraine for two years.. So stop breathing through the mouth people.!
Sorry Isaac… I’ve been dealing with migraines for nearly 30 yrs now. I’ve always been fit and am still at 37… weighing 185 lbs at 5’11” and muscular. As for breathing through the mouth, in observing my symptoms for so long, I’ve discounted that as a possible cause. I breath through my nose normally and don’t notice an increase in migraine activity when working out or playing sports, which would be a time that I breath through my mouth more often than my nose.
I was told that my aura migraines are caused from over exertion. I’m surprised that you are still able to play sports. I cannot even run a mile without having an aura migraine attack.(ten years ago I when I have in high school I could run a mile in 5 min 15 seconds). There is usually 20-40minutes of psychedelic circles which slowly turns into tunnel vision blocking your peri feral version. Then I’ll have an awful headache which makes me feel like I’m dying in one hemisphere of the brain. The migraine usually lasts about 5 days dissipating a little bit each day. The migraine doesn’t seem to dissipate until I get at least 8 hours of sleep. The more REM sleep the better. Even so the migraine is the same level of intensity throughout the whole day until I go to sleep and wake up the next day. By the 3rd day it is typically tolerable enough to live your life as you normally would. It has now been confirmed that intense aura migraines are considered to be preliminary strokes meaning each time one occurs it is about 5% of a stroke. I’d love nothing more than to become a black belt in some form of martial arts, but until there is a legit cure… There is no hope for that unless I want to risk my life or severely shorten it. These damn migraines are ruining my life!
I’m fit enough to have a heart rate of around 50bpm and I get the occasional migraine, it has little to do with fitness other than getting out and away from the pc screen. I have however tried the ice treatment over the years with great success, I concur that I still get the lights and post headaches but the process is much shorter and the symtoms much more tolerable. I am really suffering today and it is the first time in a while that I’ve not done the ice treatment.
I don’t remember ever having migraine prodromes before I started distance running, and when I was running marathons, and my early morning heart rate was well below 50 bpm I was having a cluster of about five, about three times a year. This would be an easy problem to do a quick check on – just give a survey questionnaire at the warm up before a marathon race. “Did you have migraine prodromes (large visual patterns within your eyes lasting several minutes) before you started distance running?” “Do you have migraine prodromes, once a month or so since you started distance running?” “How long have you been distance running?” “How old are you?” “Comments?”
I started reading your post as my aura was starting. I quickly grabbed an ice pack from the freezer. I noticed right away that my ‘floater’ has gotten bigger much more quickly than usual. At this time I was doubting your method. Luckily by the time I was nearing the end of your post, with whatever visual acuity I had left, the aura was already disappearing. I also found that the ice pack at the back of my head ‘fast forwarded’ the aura. Mine lasted less than 10 minutes with the ice, and it normally lasts 30 minutes. This is good insight. Thanx! I get between 15-30 auras per month (with no pain after though, so it’s manageable). The finger tapping doesn’t work for me though – maybe if you specified the exact location where you tap.
Also, if your auras are brought on while reading from a computer screen, try bring the contrast and brightness of your screen way down – this greatly decreases the frequency of my migraines. Cheers.
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Here is my latest thoughts on coping with migraine aura events.
Migraine experiment updates are reported. See this at Probaway and in the search field type – Migraine
I found your post informative. I suffer from aura a few times a month. I notice that I have more episodes in the fall & spring months. Rarely do I get a headache, but most of the time I’ll get a pins & needles sensation in my hand, nose, or side of my face… kinda like the same feeling when your foot is aleep. Very bizarre! The doctors have given me medicine to take on the on-set, but they’ve all made me very feel like vomitting. It makes me feel better that I’m not alone with this problem. There is NOTHING worse than having the aura while at work or while driving.
I had another aura event a couple of days ago when I went out to drive, but instead chose to tap my head for about ten minutes until the aura went away. Driving with an aura would leave a blind spot and be very dangerous. I find that I can’t read either so the best thing is to just stay calm and take a break for half an hour until it goes away. Good luck fellow suffer
Wonderful! Good to know I’m not alone. I’ve had two migraines with auras (at work) that scared the crap out of me, first because I thought I was having a stroke and then because everyone was telling me that the “fractured rainbow” blind spot I had was probably NOT GOOD. I will definitely try the ice pack and/or tapping next time, rather than running to the doctor for Imitrex, especially since I can’t drive myself!
I am a funeral celebrant and am in constant fear of having one of my many auras, during a service. I certainly have had them while interviewing families and all I can do is drink a glass of warm water, which makes me feel better. I do struggle to write notes, though.
I’m going to try your ice pack method, next time it happens it home. I’m also going to turn down the brightness on my computer, which I’m on constantly. I get a cluster of two or three auras over a week, then nothing for a couple of months. I’m just over 60 yrs old, which is historically the wrong age bracket.
Hey I have gone through the exact same thing you’ve explained in the blog.
I’ve timed it and it does take 30 minutes. I’ve tried to track down my meals, my sleep patterns, but even though i sleep well enough i just might get it the next day anyway. Are you on any sort of medication just yet? Apparently they do have meds to prevent these migraines from attacking. Especially with the auras, they seriously just make me wanna ditch work and hide from the light. (which was what i just did) If there are any meds to gulp in particular, please let me know.
Cheers, glad to know that i’m not the only one seeing rainbow dancers.
I’ve had headaches for over 9 years and have tried multiple doses and combinations of prescription and over-the-counter drugs; none of which have worked. I have only recently found out that putting a cold item on my head feels much better than a warm one. Since most of my headaches are in or near my temples it makes it much harder to put an ice pack there so I just put it on the back of my head. Something as simple as a frozen gel pad helped me where no drug could. I now use one small one on the back of my neck with a larger one on the back of my head while lying down.
Having two small children at home, an aura that blocks out half my vision is pretty frustrating. I tried the ice pack and within ten minutes the aura that was obscuring half my vision became more like a cloud, which I can see through a lot better. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this! Next time I have one I will try it. I usally have one once a month. It’s to the point where i dont wnna go places or do things by myself cause I’m afraid it will happen :(
I have suffered from migraine aura for about 5 years now. I have the full blown attacks too, where my eyesight will go for about a half hour, and then my speech goes for about a half hour, and then one side of my body will go completely numb for a while. Needless to say, I thought for sure I was having a stroke the first time it happened, and had a friend drive me to the hospital. I didn’t used to have the painful headache that goes with it, but that kicked in about 3 years ago.
On Friday evening, I was having a terrible migraine, and so frustrated with them. I looked online for how to prevent migraine aura, and this website came up! Thank God it did. I have lately begun having multiple migraines, one after another. After my first one had gone away for the most part, I read the website. When I felt the second one coming on (eyesight was going again) I had my husband get me a bag of frozen peas. I don’t know if it was a coincidence, or if it truly works, but my migraine didn’t go any further than my eyes! A few years ago, I had been able to take otc migraine pills right when I noticed my eyes start to go, but this lately has not worked anymore.
I now keep an ice pack waiting at home and at work, just in case. I don’t want to say that I am excited to have a migraine again, but I am looking forward to seeing if this ice works for me again!
I have been having aura migraines since I was eleven, I am now 88yrs. old, Over the years, I tried to find out what caused them and decided to give up cheese and chocolate this last year and the doctor gave me beater blockers but it has not helped. After two months free I’ve just had four attacks in five days, I will now get an ice pack ready in my freezer and hope I will not have to use it.
Give the hot tap water held in the mouth a try. Not too hot, but hot enough to feel really warm. The idea is to dilate the blood vessels, because the migraine is supposedly brought on my blood vessels in the visual centers being constricted. Today, I had a prodrome and this cleared it up in a few minutes. Also, I do the finder tapping on the back of my head. Good luck.
This morning whilst gardening I started an aura migraine, I came straight indoors, wrapped a packet of frozen vegetables in a towel, Laid down and placed the pack at the back of my head, the aura went in ten minutes whereas it has always lasted 30 mins., I was so pleased it had worked, I will try the head tapping but I am not sure where to tap.
Hi Doreen – Congratulations on the shorter migraine prodrome. Tap the back of your head and upper neck vigorously with the flats of your finger tips. Position your palms over your ears with you elbows held at eye height. I just discovered an additional treatment, which worked really well for me. Draw a cup of hot tap water, just hot enough you can hold your finger in it without too much pain. Hold some of this water in your mouth for fifteen seconds, spit it out, and put some more of the hot water in your mouth. Hold it there until you can swallow it comfortably. This procedure dilates the arteries in your brain and lets the blood flow better. I did it for about five minutes and the prodrome was gone. Remember this is an experimental procedure and you are on your own. But, it is easy and worked for me.
Thanks for the insights. I have had the exact same symptoms now for about 5 years. I am now 60 years old and have been a long distance runner for 20 years. That, then may be a factor.
What I have discovered is that avoiding processed meat keeps the aura away completely, but it is very difficult to do that because you aren’t always in control of what other people feed you. Ham, bacon, hot dogs, sandwich meat, sausage and peperoni are the usual culprits. A single bite or even pizza that I have removed the sausage from can trigger the aura. My symptoms always appear 20 to 48 hours after exposure to these items and it happens every time.
I haven’t tried the ice or the tapping because the symptoms never last more than 30 minutes, anyway, and I never get the headache with it. I hope this is helpful. By the way, it is nitrate/ nitrite in the meat that causes the problem and you can find those meats without it if you look.
I have had a couple of migraine auras in the last few days, and tried my latest experiment. Basically it’s hot tap water into a large tumbler, which this time I measured at 125 degrees. I don’t drink this hot water, but just hold it in my mouth for about seven seconds, and when it cools a bit and then spit it out and take another mouthful. I did this for three minutes and the migraine aura was gone. I did do the tapping and rubbing on the back of my head and neck while holding the hot water in my mouth. The water isn’t so hot as to scorch my mouth, but it does dilate the blood vessels in my head.
so glad I have found this site, I have been having the Aura only for about 5 years (now 43) like most of you every time I think I am having a stroke, it scares me, most times its the classic zig zag, once or twice it has been a blind spot but last night it was like a shutter had ben pulled half way down my right eye, so I started searching the net (not a good idea) until I found this site, I get about 1 every other month, sometimes 2 but no pattern, bright reflective light doesn’t help nor does stress, will be trying the ice and hot water thing next time to see if this helps, its good to hear that you are not alone, thank you
oh im so glad ive found this site…i have suffered the aura and mild headache for thirty years and is very disablying. i can be anywhere and these attacks come on and am so fearful im going to die. im going to try everything that has been suggested on here. The aura is the part that i cant deal with sometimes it goes from left to right and otheres right to left and pain at the back of my head hours later on the opposite side of where the aura ended. thanks for this support its so good to know you arnt alone.
Im in the latter stages of a migraine. I dont mind the pain its the auras that freak me out. Ill try the ice pack and tapping next time. Thanks!! 👍👍👍
I read about ice the last time I had an aura a few months ago. Just had one now and it definitely moved the migraine along faster. Instead of the usual 45 – 60 minutes, it was gone in 10 minutes. Put the ice pack on the back of my neck first and then moved it up to my head. Also, the ice pack helped me to relax more than I usually do when I’m having an aura.
Hope this helps someone.
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So happy i found this site.I just had a double session of auras.One happened and another about 90 minutes later.Like others have said nice to hear others talk about the zig zags and rainbows.Sorry we all have it.I’m going to try the hot water method and will try to post again if I have to do it.
My neuro had me on a tiny baby aspirin daily and that seemed to work but I started bruising and friends got me worried about small bleedings possibly happening so I stopped it.
Thanks again!
I get the auras without pain. They last 30 min. Today at the 10 min. mark (it was slow getting started) I put an ice pack on the back of my neck. The zig zag lines stopped! I took it off after a minute & the lines returned. So I put it on for 5 min. & they disappeared completely. I never got a full blown, vision blotting aura! Stopped it in it’s tracks – something I’ve never been able to do before!
UPDATE: I last posted 2 yrs ago. I think I’ve had about 3 of these since the last post. I guess I should consider myself lucky! One other time, the ice pack worked. Twice since original post, the ice pack didn’t stop it! Since I’ve wondered if it’s blood flow, or a kink in my neck (I tend to have a lot of neck/trapezius stiffness) I thought I’d experiment with one more thing. A forward bend (bent-leg, since I’m not real limber. Let my arms swing down & relax.) Did it a couple of times, for maybe15-20 seconds? Loosen the neck + increase blood flow to head. While it didn’t STOP the aura, it lessened it. Never got to the big pulsing zig-zags – stayed at the “peripheral blot out” & then went away in a little less time than usual. The only other thing that’s changed in the past 2 yrs is that I’m now officially menopausal. So I can’t say for sure whether the forward bend did it, or if I’d be getting milder ones now anyway, due to hormonal status. If you try it & it helps, please post & let us know!
Thank you for posting this blog! I have suffered from a handful of aura’s annually for the past 15 years or so. Thankfully, I don’t think I’ve ever had more than 6 per year and I rarely get the headache afterwards. But, I do feel like I’m in a brain fog for a few days afterwards. Just having one, I tried the ice and at first it appeared as though it was going away, but it really didn’t. I do think it lessened the severity of it though. Next time hopefully I will remember the hot water trick and will try that as well. These totally freak me out!
Got my aura after 2 years since the last one. Being used to it, I did not panic. Took a Dicloenac Sodium since I have learnt through experience that if I take a strong pain killer or anti inflammatory drug during the aura, the subsequent headaches do not materialize. Anyways, that is not the point I am trying to make. After taking the tablet, I vigorously massaged the back of my head and the neck for 5 minutes. Noticed that the blurred vision started to clear pretty fast. I usually had auras in the past lasting 20 minutes…..with the massaging it was more like 8 minutes. Can’t help but wonder if the whole thing has something to do with posture and nerves pinching off somewhere.
1. I have never had an aura while I was not in the office
2. Every single time i have had an aura it has been while I was working in front of a computer
Greetings! I’ve suffered from classic migraine (with visual aura) for 20+ years now. I’ve tried pretty much everything you can imagine, but I had never tried the tapping, warm water in mouth, or the ice-pack on the back of the neck/head until I stumbled upon this blog.
The tapping and warm water didn’t have any noticeable effect, but within a couple of minutes of implementing the ice-pack, it did seem to accelerate the aura sequence. I have a window I refer to as “the veil being lifted” which is after the scintillating scotoma finishes it’s sequence on the outskirts of my vision, finally goes away, but there’s a remaining fuzzy/blurriness to my vision. The veil being lifted is when my vision suddenly becomes clear again. The aura definitely transitioned more quickly and the time for the veil to lift occurred much more rapidly.
I started the ice-pack toward the end of the aura, so now I’m really curious to see what would happen if I were to catch it right at the beginning (when the aura is at a pinpoint in my field of vision).
Thanks for the tips! If this ends up working, it’s a serious game-changer. Despite the feeling of the actual migraine (head feels like it’s going to explode out of the top of my cranium the next day) it’s actually the scintillating scotoma that bothers me the most. I’ll report back after more experimentation . . . Luckily I’m on the once-per-month plan right now, so it could be a while ;)
Regards,
Clint Clark
Everett, WA
Hi, thanks for the post. I have been coping with migraines for 7-8 weeks, and have had about 7-8 migraine aura episodes, and 3 in the last 4 days. This time, I immediately rubbed the back of my neck, like a deep massage, where I have a lot of stiffness, and discomfort, and the aura went away noticeably quicker than before. What usually followed as a 4 hour headache, has been minimal so far. I really think the chiropractor may need to get involved, as a lot of migraines are caused by misalignment in the C1/C2 vertebrae. I am not an expert, just passing along any information I can to maybe help someone in need, and I have major neck stiffness. I’m going to the chiropractor next week. As a 28 year old male, with a beautiful wife, and 2 beautiful children, I want to get a grip on these to love and support them the best I can. God bless! Feel free to respond to me, anyone, on questions or comments, I’ll be happy to share my situation, and try to help.
Will – Indiana
I take 100 mg of flushing Niacin. This opens up the small capilaries in your face, scalp neck and chest. It feels somewhat strange, so expect to feel a prickly
flushing of your skin. I take this with one Bufferin and if you take it as soon as you see the aura, it can stop the headache from coming on. Drink a big glass of
water as well.
Ice at the back of the head, ironically seemed to help me too!
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been getting migraine with aura since I was 11 years old and it has taken over my life. It has happened while driving, on my wedding day, in the theater before having a emergency cesarean (yes, that was terrible!) etc. I’m definitely trying your advice with the next attack!
I can’t believe it, I have been getting these aura migraines since I was 6 and thankfully the older I got the less frequent they became. However, I am not 7 months pregnant and it is happening now almost once a week, I live in fear of this coming on, especially because I cannot take anything to stop the pain of make me go to sleep. I am trying the tapping, warm water & cold compress method and thus far it seems to be working, I am amazed, thought I was on my own and there was nothing I could do. Thank you for being a light in a dark void! For once the internet has provided me with something that works instead of plain scaremongering.
Lol, I am 7 monts pregnant, not “not”…. pregnancy brain… :-)
I cannot believe this, but after reading the above posts I decided to try anything since I have begun having the aura (no headache) about every 5 days. It lasts about 30 minutes and started being this frequent when I had to began taking a beta blocker for my heart. (Supposedly they help migraines, but this one definitely has caused the auras). Twice today, the auras started and I FIRMLY patted the back of my head several times. Within 2 minutes each time the auras vanished!!!! I have had these auras without headaches for at least 30 years, but never very often until now. I simply cannot believe that patting the back of my head made them stop!!!! I will post again when I get one and let you know if it was just a fluke or actually worked again. I AM AMAZED!