We may not necessarily think about the difference between the terms avoid and prevent, but when we talk about migraines we should denote the distinction between how and what you can do to keep migraines from occurring.
To use a driving analogy, we can avoid a pothole by driving around it or by taking a different route. We can prevent a pothole from permanetly damaging our car by having it repaired. The difference is that in the first example our action is related to an episode occurrence and does nothing about changing the source of the problem. Whereas, in the second example some overt action must occur in order to change the outcome.
We can avoid the possibility of a migraine by staying away from those things that are known to "trigger" a migraine, e.g. not drinking red wine or eating food containing MSG. In order to prevent migraines from occurring, something has to happen internally to the body that alters the source cause of migraines.
Triggers can be different things for different people. Some people cannot eat onions without getting a headache. Others can eat onions without any problems but get headaches after strenuous exercising or eating almonds.
Triggers can be compounded. We are often asked, "Why can I eat yogurt one day and not have any problems, but at other times it causes a headache?" The general answer is triggers can be compounded and act together to increase the chances of a migraine occurring. For example, weather can be problematic for some and when in a low pressure area and consuming a food that raises the level of either nitric oxide or tyramine in the body, the trigeminal-vascular system (where the pain occurs in the head) is more sensitive than it would be on a clear day with high barometric pressure.
The prevention of migraines is seen from a different perspective. Migraine prevention generally involves the altering of internal conditions that are the cause of a migraine. Migraine is a genetic condition inherited as a gene in the DNA which gives one the propensity to get migraines i.e. the real cause of migraines.
Therefore, a person with this gene has an exceedingly high probability of experiencing migraines throughout his or her life no matter what they attempt to do to avoid them. This is why things like "migraine diets" generally do not work to prevent migraines from occurring at regular intervals.
In order to prevent the migraines from occurring, something must change internally.Since the cause of migraines is internal and the episode pattern for both men and women changes during lifetimes, an effective migraine preventive solution must address the source of the problem rather than merely administer aid for the pain. In other words, the preventive should work to alter the cause of the migraine in order to prevent migraines from occurring.
For more than ten years, the founders of Tuliv have been researching the cause and prevention of migraines. During the last six years the Tuliv Migraine Defense product has emerged as the single most effective migraine prevention product to address the internal cause of migraines. By changing how the body reacts to the migraine gene, migraines can be prevented.