The 411 on Migraines

Jordin Sparks is the face of a new Excedrin campaign.

Jordin Sparks Gets Them, Too - American Idol alum Jordin Sparks recently spoke out about her struggle with migraines and her new Excedrin campaign to spread awareness about this chronic ailment. Learn more about migraines and how they impact African-Americans.(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for WebMD)

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Jordin Sparks Gets Them, Too - American Idol alum Jordin Sparks recently spoke out about her struggle with migraines and her new Excedrin campaign to spread awareness about this chronic ailment. Learn more about migraines and how they impact African-Americans.(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for WebMD)

Keep Your Cool  - When you’re mentally stressed, chances are your stress hormone cortisol kicks into full gear, which can make your oil glands begin to overproduce and cause more breakouts. Basic remedies such as regular exercise, indulging in “me time” and sleep can help prevent anxiety flare-ups.  (Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Corbis)

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What Is a Migraine? - A migraine is a severe, painful headache that is often coupled with sensory warning signs such as flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting and increased sensitivity to light and sound. It is debilitating with 90 percent of people not being able to work when they have an attack. (Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Corbis)

Choosing the Right Shade - Have you been feeling a little blue lately? Perhaps your home décor is to blame! Certain hues can trigger emotional responses depending on the dullness or brightness of the room color. It can contribute to your creativity, alter your mood or affect your well-being.  But before you start working on that room makeover, let’s take a deeper look at which colors can possibly bring out the best or worst in your mood. By Dontaira Terrell (Photo: Image Source/Corbis)

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How Is that Different Than a Headache? - A headache can be throbbing, but it normally doesn’t have sensory issues attached to it. Headaches may last for an hour or so, while migraines can last as long as 72 hours.(Photo: Image Source/Corbis)

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What Causes Migraines? - The science around this is fuzzy. Researchers do believe that genetics play a factor. Other data suggests that obesity, changes in the brain stem and serotonin levels may also be behind migraines, too.(Photo: Getty Images)

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How Common Are Migraines? - It’s estimated that between 2–10 percent of Americans suffer from migraines. Most sufferers experience attacks once or twice a month, 14 million people have chronic daily headache, when attacks occur at least 15 days per month, writes the Migraine Research Foundation. (Photo: Getty Images/Blend Images)

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Breast Cancer Deaths Continue to Widen Along Race - A new study about breast cancer disparities found that five Black women die from the disease every day. Researchers also found that breast cancer death rates among Black women are still higher than white women; Memphis and Los Angeles have the steepest racial death disparities; and New York and Baltimore have the lowest disparity rates. (Photo: Jeremy Woodhouse/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Blacks and Migraines - While anyone can suffer from migraines, a 2011 study found that Blacks are more likely to report chronic migraine pain than whites, as were people who live in households with lower salaries.(Photo: Jeremy Woodhouse/Blend Images/Corbis)

Photo By Photo: Jeremy Woodhouse/Blend Images/Corbis

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What Triggers Them? - If you are prone to migraines, there are plenty of factors that can trigger an episode. Allergies, smoking, emotional and physical stress, hormone changes (menstruation, pregnancy and birth control pills), eating certain foods and taking certain meds, drinking alcohol and certain smells and odors can set one off. But even if you avoid these things, that doesn’t mean you won’t get a migraine, MNT writes.(Photo: Andrew Parfenov/Getty Images)

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Risk Factors - Anyone can get migraines, but there are certain factors that put you at a higher risk. Having a family history, age (people ages 25-55 are more prone), gender (women are three times more likely to suffer from migraines) and hormonal changes. A 2014 study found that women, regardless of race, were twice as likely to have a migraine that lasted for more than a day compared to men. (Photo: Peathegee Inc/GettyImages)

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Diagnosing Migraines - Most likely a neurologist will determine if you are experiencing migraines. Common tests include an MRI, cat scan, testing blood glucose levels, spine screenings and X-rays.   (Photo: ERproductions Ltd/Getty Images)

Treatment Options - There are over-the-counter meds that you can take for migraines and meds to treat the side effects, too. Other possible options include surgery, spinal cord implantation, Botox injections, hypnosis, special diet and acupuncture.(Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc./Corbis)

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Treatment Options - There are over-the-counter meds that you can take for migraines and meds to treat the side effects, too. Other possible options include surgery, spinal cord implantation, Botox injections, hypnosis, special diet and acupuncture.(Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc./Corbis)

Lose Some Weight - Being obese and having excess fat on your body can do a number on your menstrual cycle and make you skip periods, which means you ovulate less. And being able to pinpoint ovulation is crucial for getting pregnant. FYI: Being underweight isn’t good for fertility, either.  (Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Preventing Migraines - There are things that you can do to help prevent an episode from coming on: Get enough sleep, reduce stress, drink plenty of water, avoid certain foods and work out more.(Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Blend Images/Corbis)