What is Migraine and its Treatment?

What is migraine headache?
Migraine is a type of headache like tension type headache or cluster headache. Migraine pain is a severe form of headache and feels like something is throbbing in head.
 

What are symptoms of migraine headache?
Migraine is a severe, recurrent and throbbing headache. It is associated with photophobia (extreme sensitivity to light), phonophobia (fear of sounds), and nausea lasting for 4 to 72 hours. The headache worsens with body movements and the patient feels calm in a quite, dark room. The patient may complain that he/she cannot brush his/her hair, wear earrings, or feels pain when he shaves. Migraine may lead to allodynia – central pain sensitization. Watch the video below.

 
 

 

What are four phases of migraine?
Migraine headache consists of four phases: prodrome, aura, attack and prostdrome. Prodrome refers to malaise, irritability and behavioral changes some hours to days before the onset of headache. About 20% patients with migraine experience aura. Aura refers to a number of symptoms the patient with migraine pain experiences just before the onset of headache. Migraine aura can be visual (shimmering silvery zigzag lines across the visual field or scotoma), sensory (tingling or numbness), motor or verbal.
 

What are the triggers of migraine headache?
There are several triggers of migraine headache. These triggers include estrogen containing oral contraceptive pills, stress, cheese, chocolate, red wine or alcohol, intercourse, missing a meal, lack of sleep or oversleeping.
 

What is the treatment of migraine?
Treatment of migraine headache includes avoidance of triggering factors and use of simple analgesia such as Aspirin, Paracetamol or NSAIDs (non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs). Antiemetics can be used for nausea and vomiting. Triptans (e.g. sumatriptan) should be considered for severe attacks. Other drugs which can be used for migraine treatment are calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, antidepressants and anti-epileptic drugs.
 

What is the prophylaxis of migraine?
When a patient experiences 3-4 attacks of migraine pain in a month, then prophylactic treatment for migraine is considered. Prophylactic treatment of migraine includes avoiding triggering factors of migraine and using drugs like calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, antidepressants and anti-epileptic drugs calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, antidepressants and anti-epileptic drugs.

Medical Videos | Subscribe Doctors Hub Channel

Doctors Hub is a medical videos channel. It regularly publishes medical videos. Most often, medical videos include medical examination videos, disease findings videos, public health messages videos or doctors videos.

You can subscribe this video channel.
In the video below, clinical method of examining ankle clonus has been demonstrated.

Subscribe

Keywords: Doctors hub, Medical videos, Disease videos, Public health videos

Can a Doctor Earn Online?

Can a doctor earn money online? This is the question  may arise in your mind if you have medical skills and you are interested in medical-related writing or online clinic.

The answer to the above question is "Yes of course!" Being a doctor, there are many ways to earn money online. For example, writing medical content, medical papers, giving medical advice or online clinic, writing multiple choice questions (MCQs), writing eBooks, medical proofreading, review articles, synopses, dissertations and making presentations or lectures, and many more. There are several websites where employers post their projects and ask for bidders to place bid on their projects, and then pay to them on the completion of the work/assignments. Two of the top websites include Freelancer and Upwork. You can join Freelancer or Upwork if you intend to earn money online. Also, you can earn by making a Youtube Channel on health like mine "Doctors Hub".

Watch the video below:

It is real to earn money online. You can earn money if you have any skills with some knowledge about computer use. Follow the links above, create your profile, select your skills and place bids on the projects you are interested in. Don't worry, payment is 100% with milestones. So, always insist on milestones.

Next Post

Keywords: Doctor, Online earning, Freelancer, Upwork

Causes of Migraine Headache

Migraine headache is a type of headache where the patient experiences severe throbbing/pulsating pain on the one side of the head. It may accompanied with several different signs and symptoms. The cause of migraine is not well known; however, studies reveal that it is caused by the dilatation of blood vessels and the activation of the part of our central nervous system (brain) which is supplied by trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial nerve). You may precipitate or trigger your migraine headache or the following factors cause headaches if:

• You have family history of migraine headache.
• You are alcohol user or abuser.
• You are under emotional or physical stress.
• You sleep much or do not have adequate sleep.
• You have missed your meal.
• You are the patient of migraine and you eat chocolates.
• You are having bright lights all around you.
•  You are disturbed with loud noise.
• You are under the stress of hormonal changes.
• You are on oral contraceptive pills (OCPs).

If you avoid all of the above, you may enjoy migraine relief and no need of migraine medication.
Watch the video below (in urdu)

What is Trichobezoar?

Keywords: Migraine headache, Causes, Migraine relief, Migraine medication, Risk factors

Emergency Triage: What is Triage?

Triage refers to the assessment and management of the patients on priority basis or clinical urgency or level of severity. Triage is a necessary element of emergency department (ED). In other words, it is a time-critical intervention which allows emergency room (ER) services providers to assess and allocate proper treatment areas to the patients.

Triage helps determining the urgency of life support and the key problems of the patient, depending upon the appearance, work of breathing and circulation of skin. It categorizes the patients in different levels:

Category 1

Immediate management! The patient needs treatment in 2-5 minutes of arrival, e.g. cardiac and respiratory arrest, immediate risk to airway, extreme respiratory distress, blood pressure below 80 mmHg, Glassgow coma scale (GCS) less than 9, unresponsive to painful stimulus, hypoventilation, intravenous drug overdose, severe behavioral problems where immediate violence is expected.

Category 2

Imminently life-threatening! The patient needs treatment in 10 minutes of arrival, e.g. airway risk (severe stridor or drooling with distress), severe respiratory distress, circulatory compromise, blood sugar level (BSL) less than 55 mg/dl, drowsy (GCS <13), very severe pain, fever with signs of lethargy, high-risk history, major multi-trauma or severe local injury and acute dysphagia.

Category 3

Potentially life threatening! The patient can be managed in 30 minutes of arrival, e.g. moderately severe blood loss, moderate shortness of breath, persistent vomiting, moderate shortness of breath, oxygen saturation 90-95%, BSL more than 180 mg/dl, seizures, head injury with short loss of consciousness and dehydration.

Category 4

Potentially serious! The patient can be treated in 60 minutes of arrival, e.g. mild hemorrhage, moderate pain, foreign body aspiration without respiratory distress, vomiting or diarrhea without dehydration, difficulty in swallowing, moderate pain, foreign body eye or eye inflammation and minor limb trauma.

Category 5

Less urgent! The patient can be treated in 2 hours of arrival, e.g. minimal pain, minor injuries, immunization only and other low risk conditions.

Remember, note date, time, triage officer's name, chief complaint, short history, relevant findings, area and treatment allocation and reassessment.

Note: ER service providers are at potential risk of aggressive behavior of the injured or sick patients or their relatives. Therefore, they must have non-threatening environment with as maximum privacy as possible.

Next Post

Keywords: Triage, Emergency room triage, Emergency triage, Emergency room, ER services and triage, Triage field

How to Confirm the Patient is Dead?

Though declaring a person dead is a simple routine, but undoubtedly a critical moment for a doctor. It is an organized step-wise process of patient’s examination to assess the brain functions. Death must be declared by a medical doctor or medical professional.

Check the Video Below ↓

No Pulse

The dead person is always pulse-less. You cannot feel any radial pulse in both fore-arms or any pulse anywhere in the body. The heart pumps blood out into the body through vessels producing a pressure onto their walls. This pressure produces and amplitude in the vessel wall that is felt as a “Pulse”. If the heart is not functioning, no pulse can be felt. However, only pulselessness does not confirm that the patient is dead. In several conditions, pulse may not be recordable. In other words, a working heart may be too weak to produce pulse. Carotid pulses are better to be examined.

Radial Pulse

No Blood Pressure

No blood pressure can be recorded in both upper limbs or anywhere in a dead person. In a dead person, heart stops working! The heart pumps blood out into the body through vessels producing a pressure onto their walls. This pressure is named as “Blood Pressure”. If the heart is not working, no blood pressure can be recorded. However, only B.P. lessness does not confirm the patient is dead. In several conditions, blood pressure may not be recordable. In other words, a working heart may be too weak to produce enough power to give a recordable blood pressure.

Blood Pressure (Source: www.drelaine.com)

No Heart Sounds

No heart sounds can be heard over the chest of a dead person at least for one minute. Simply, when the heart is dead, no sound will be produced. If you are in doubt, ask to your colleague to hear the patient’s heart (auscultate).

Heart Sounds