The migraine research foundation believes that there are over 38 million people in the United States alone who suffer from regular, or semi regular migraines, and over a billion people suffer worldwide. These painful headaches are even responsible for over 1.2 million trips to the emergency room each year. Although migraines can often be difficult to treat promising research has emerged from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital that could bring us a step closer to developing effective treatment, and a common symptom shared by migraine sufferers...

Why are migraines so hard?

There are several different reasons, according to the Mayo clinic, that migraines can be so difficult to deal with in your everyday life. The first reason is because they cause extreme pain on a certain side of your head, other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivities to lights, and sounds, which can make it difficult to go outside. People who only experience migraines like that once in a while aren't at a major disadvantage like people who them on a daily basis.

Migraines can be especially frustrating because they are caused by such a wide variety of reasons such as changes in your hormonal levels, certain foods containing additives like MSG, taking specific medications including nitroglycerine and birth control. You might be able to avoid some of these things, but at the end of the day you wont be able to stay away from everything. In a recent study researchers from Ohio discovered that low levels of vitamin D Could be possible cause for migraines.

New discoveries.

Dr. Suzanne Hagler led the study done by the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and examined the records of all her children, teen, and young adult patients suffering from migraines. One thing she noticed was that a majority of her male migraine sufferers had deficiencies levels of vitamin D, and her female patients had coenzyme Q 10 deficiencies, and many of her other patients who report normal to high vitamin D and coQ 10 levels rarely experience migraines.

There is still quite a bit more research that needs to be done, but if these deficiencies become a more concrete link to migraines, forms of dietary counseling, and nutritional supplements could become useful forms of treatment. In conclusion, vitamin and mineral deficiencies might be a bigger factor in treatment of migraines than people originally realized, and as research continues doctors will become more knowledgable, and be able to provide more care, along with a better treatment plan.