Find out what's causing your migraine—and natural ways to make
it stop What Are Migraines? A recurrent throbbing headache,
often in one side of the head, frequently accompanied by nausea,
vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines
may include a stage called aura, which is marked by visual
disturbances (flashes, splotches, zigzags, or shimmering colored
lights surrounding a blind spot). Why Migraines Happen "Migraine
is a neurobiological disorder involving both neurological and
vascular changes in the brain during an attack," says Susan
Broner, MD, medical director of the Manhattan Headache Center in
New York City. "People with a genetic predisposition have a
reduced threshold for the activation of the brain's 'pain
centers' and become hypersensitive to stimuli that cause pain.
These set off a wave of nerve cell activity and neurotransmitter
release that activates blood vessel inflammation, feeding pain
structures deep in the brain." More from Prevention: 7 Weird New
Headache Causes HOW TO