People get headaches quite often which are not usually very serious - during a bad cold, if an injury is suffered to the head, or when high pressure builds up inside the head.

Some people, however, suffer very severe headaches - throbbing pains, often in one half of the head, accompanied by nausea, vomiting and extreme discomfort in bright light. These are the symptoms of migraine.

Diagnosing migraine

According to professor Yao Jingli from Huashan Hospital, migraine is a kind of chronic disease which tends to be inherited.

In this case, the sudden onset of severe pain without any warning is most common.

Some sufferers experience serious visual disturbances or partial paralysis before an attack.

The cause of migraine is yet not clear.

"We can only identify some conditions which can trigger the headaches such as high stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, sudden changes of weather and brightness," said professor Yao.

"Some types of food, especially popular in other countries such as chocolate, cheese, alcohol, and even some fruits including oranges, can also cause migraines."

"People who experience pains in the head after eating these kinds of food should consult a doctor for confirmation," said Yao.

It is a common misconception that migraine usually only attacks one side of the head, but over 40 per cent of migraines actually occur in both sides of the brain, according to doctor Cai Yan from Shanghai Renji Hospital.

Patients therefore must make a very careful judgment about whether they are suffering from migraine before resorting to anti-migraine medicines, because many treatments can have detrimental side-effects in the intestines and stomach.

Research indicates that women are three times more likely than men to suffer from migraines.

This correlates to hormonal fluctuations, including the rise and fall of oestrogen levels during menstruation, experts say.

Treatment

Experts suggest women avoid an erratic lifestyle and pay more attention to diet, before and during menstruation.

For the present, there is still no cure for migraines.

Some patients deal with the attacks by simply retreating to a silent, dark and restful place which helps alleviate pain. But most cases require over-the-counter (OTC) and sometimes prescription medication. (Medicines which don't require a prescription will be listed at the end of the article.)

"Preventative measures, such as acupuncture or Qigong treatment, are also recommended since migraine is chronic and recurrent, and preventative measures can help adjust the hormonal fluctuations," said professor Yao.

Tension headaches

White-collar workers who spend their time in a high-stress environment might also suffer tension headaches, which are very similar to migraine.

"Though over-exhaustion, stress, lack of sleep and anxiety can cause both kinds of headache, victims of tension headaches will not experience a throbbing pain, just discomfort borne of a feeling of tight compression in the head," said Yao.

A tension headache is not accompanied by vomiting.

"Hard-workers in white-collar jobs are thought to be susceptible to this form of headache because of too few changes in their sitting or standing postures," said professor Yao.

In this case, massage and acupuncture can help ease the tension and also the pains in the head.

OTC medicines

Bufferin ("baifuning" in Chinese) or Bufferin Plus (jiahe baifuning) or Tylenol (tainuo). Bufferin Plus can be comparatively more effective in reducing the pain because there is caffeine in it.

Doctors in Shanghai

Doctor Yao Jingli, Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Shanghai Huashan World-Wide Medical Centre: 12 Wulumuqi Road Middle, Tel: 021-62483986 (Making an appointment is recommended, but not required.)

World-Link Shanghai Centre Clinic: Suite 203W, 1376 Nanjing Road West, Tel: 021-62797688

World-Link Hong Qiao Clinic: Mandarine City, Unit 30, 788 Hongxu Road, Tel: 021-64055788

Shanghai Guangci Hospital: 197 Ruijin Er Road (Inside Shanghai Ruijin Hospital), Tel: 021-64370045 ext 8226

Yixian Hospital: 136 Yixueyuan Road (inside Zhongshan Hospital), Tel: 021-64041990 ext 2718 (clinic) or ext 2919 (emergency)

Shanghai Renji Hospital (Puxi): 145 Shandong Road Middle, Tel: 021-63260930 ext 2133; (Pudong): 300 Pujian Road, Tel: 021-58733575

International Medical Care Centre: 585 Jiulong Road (inside No 1 Hospital), Tel: 021-63240090 ext 2101

Shanghai No 9 Hospital: 639 Zhizhaoju Road (specialized in plastic surgery), Tel: 021-63135715

(If you have any further information about where migraine sufferers can get treatment in Shanghai, please e-mail tracy_tyg@hotmail.com)