Migraine – This Common Disabling Neurological Disease Is Manageable Even During the Pandemic

by Laura P. Consultant

If you never had a migraine, consider yourself lucky.

Even if the migraine is not severe, it can take a toll on a person’s life, work, and recreation.

Despite it being one of the leading causes of time spent as disabled globally, migraine has received less attention than it deserves.

“Migraines are not just a pain in the head”, says one of the doctors in Arlington VA. “It is an assortment of disorder radiating from the nervous system involving the brain”.

This statement is endorsed by expert neurologists.

They say the right approach to migraine is to consider the affliction as a brain disorder with symptoms that start a couple of days before the onset of head pain and persist for days after the pain subsides.

Migraine causes dysfunction of the autonomous nervous system that controls body’s numerous activities like digestion and breathing.

For the United States, the economic cost squeezed by migraine is astounding – more than $20 billion in direct medical costs and indirect costs from the disability it causes.

There is no any doubt that migraine is painful.

People suffering from migraine complain of nausea, pounding headache, stomach upsets, and light sensitivity.

A visit to Arlington doctors office can give you symptomatic relief. The physician may prescribe an anti-nausea medication or preventive drug.

Surgery as an option

For some patients, surgery may provide relief for severe cases.

It is actually a one-time procedure that eliminates the need for medication by reducing or completely eliminating headache frequency.

During the surgery, the doctor frees the peripheral nerves surrounding the trigger point.

But for you to qualify for surgery, a neurologist must first diagnose that you have chronic migraine syndrome.

Some doctors prescribe treatments like acupuncture or stress reduction therapies as second line of treatments.

For all you know, such therapies may indeed work because the very activity of speaking with a therapist may give you coping skills.

During the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, there were apprehensions that medications used for migraine may increase corona virus risk.

But doctors in Arlington VA have reassured the public that they must continue to take medications for underlying health conditions during this pandemic.

So medications for migraine are safe.

Here are a few tips on how to manage migraine during this pandemic

Ensure that you have at least 30 days’ supply of prescription and non-prescription medication.
Continue to practice a healthy lifestyle – regular exercise and a beneficial diet.
Lower your stress levels through meditation/yoga.
Get over the isolation syndrome by connecting with friends and family via phone or video chat.
Speak with your doctor if you have any concerns. Some of the doctors interact via telehealth visits as an alternative to in-person consultations during this pandemic.

Physicians are adapting to interactions on virtual platforms to adapt to the new normal. In addition, physicians are also updating themselves on newer management techniques of migraine.

Do not let forced isolation prevent you from getting optimum care.

Resource Box

Arlington VA Immediate Care Clinic is a premier urgent care service located in Arlington, VA. The clinic offers patients quality medical care without prior appointment. This Immediate Care Clinic boasts of having qualified and experienced doctors and also lab and onsite X-ray facilities.