The Migraine Cycle

Within your body, a migraine attack is the result of interactions between the body's endocrine, circulatory, and nervous systems.

After years of research that included the combined work of hundreds of researchers from universities and research hospitals around the world, we created the Migraine Occurrence Model (MOM).

It was this model that helped map the path to the discovery of how migraine could be prevented. The model clearly showed that in order to get migraines a person must inherit the prevalence for migraines. This has been identified as inherited Migraine Prevalence Gene (MPG). This gene is found in the DNA genome uniquely inherited from only the maternal side of the family as part of the makeup of hormone producing cells.

Commands to produce specific hormones used as part the reproductive system are received through hormone receptors (proteins) located on their membranes. It is an adverse reaction within these cell during times of hormone fluctuation (imbalance) causes the unwanted production and release of the neurochemical Nitric Oxide (NO) into the blood stream.

When NO reaches the trigeminovascular system located on exterior temporal lobe areas of the brain, it provokes a violent chain reaction between the blood vessels and the nerve fibers that surround them. It is this reaction that causes the tiny blood vessels to swell and pinch the intertwined nerve fibers. This is what is painfully felt as a migraine headache.

In order to understand the process of migraines, one needs to see the body as a series of events in constant motion of change most of which are governed by fluctuations in the levels of various hormones.

In review, the main events of a migraine cycle are:

1. The migraine cycle starts with the secretion of gonadotropic hormone messengers from the pituitary gland
2. These hormone messengers are absorbed through their matching hormone receptor proteins attached to cells capable of producing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
3. Production of hormones takes place by these producing cells.
4. Because of the genetic factor for migraines is found within the mitochondria of these cells and adverse reaction by the nucleus sends outbound neurochemical NO rather than messages to cut production.
5. Once in the blood stream these neurochemicals find their way to blood vessels of trigeminovascular system and starts dilating the vessels and oozing its own neurochemicals through the vessel walls.
6. This neurochemical ca sues a consequential reaction by the intertwined nerve endings and a round robin effect start which results in a painful migraine attack.

What Goes Wrong

Looking at the big picture, we begin with the pituitary gland of the endocrine system as the starting point in the process that leads to migraines for both males and females.
Cyclical patterns of hormone production in both men and women are controlled by micro-hormone secretions from the pituitary gland under command of the hypothalamus.

These micro hormones are gathered by the hormone receptors of cells that are capable of producing progesterone, estrogen, or testosterone in both men and women. As production levels change, neurochemicals are released as secondary messengers by the nuclei of the hormone receptor cells to provide feedback to the hypothalamus/pituitary system. For those who carry the gene of a migraineur, this is a slightly altered neurochemical resembling that of a stress management chemical.

Trigeminovascular System in Humans
Formulation of Migraine Preventive

Once released into the blood, these neurochemicals indiscriminately find their way to the trigeminovascular system where they are read as a stress signal and pass through the micro thin walls of the vessels to come in contact with the tiny intertwined nerve fibers. The trigeminovascular system consists of tiny blood vessels intertwined with nerve fibers of the trigeminal nerve, which is located on both the left and right sides of the brain with their extremities passing behind the eyes and extending into the facial area.

When this neurochemical combines with the vasodilatation enzymes present in the lining of the blood vessels, a neurogenic vasodilatation occurs and the local blood vessels begin to swell.

Full Blown Migraine

The nerve endings react as they do to high stress by releasing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) causing more dilation to occur. As this round-robin effect continues, extreme pressure is placed on the nerve endings in a strangle-like hold and this is what is felt as the actual pain in your head, i.e. migraine headache.

Vasoconstrictor drugs, such as the triptans and ergotamines, work to abort migraines by constricting these vessels through stoppage of CGRP to release the pressure on the nerve endings.

In order to prevent migraines, the preventive must address the cause at the hormone receptor and hormone producing cellular level and the only one that does this is Migraine Defense.

You have right the to decide what is best for you. You can decide not to continue with doctors who no longer listen to you and their proscribed drugs aren't working for you.

You can decide the right course for migraine prevention is Migraine Defense.