Migraine is understood to be a one-sided, throbbing headache which is often accompanied by symptoms such as an aversion to light and noise, as well as nausea, visual symptoms and neurological seizures, e.g. visual disturbances, etc.
Current estimates suggest that in Germany a total of around 10 million people suffer from migraine. Even four percent of schoolchildren are affected by recurrent attacks of migraine, as are more than six percent of middle-aged men and twelve percent of middle-aged women. Due to the frequency of migraine attacks, migraine is considered to be a chronic disease.
Conventional medicine considers a key cause of migraine to be an imbalance in serotonin levels, as has been demonstrated in many migraine patients. But because of the affinity of migraine in affected families, genetic factors cannot be excluded either. Basically, however, the causes of migraine have not yet been conclusively determined. Possible triggers of migraine are, for example, certain foods, lack of sleep, stress and hormonal influences, etc.
