Disease, Illness and Condition Library
Headaches
got the kids off to school and then started getting ready for work. Upon stepping into the shower you found the water had been cut off due to a water main break. We’ll at least I made my coffee earlier, you grumble to yourself, only to find you had forgotten to plug in the coffee maker. You continue to try to stay positive despite the current setbacks, until you find the dog has chewed up the shoes matching your favorite outfit. Your blood starts to boil but then something else happened; your head starts to pound. You now have become a one of the over 90 percent of people who have at least one headache a year. A large group you probably wish you would have avoided, especially considering the fact your most important sales presentation of the year is in a couple of hours. Headaches are the most common health concern in North America and possibly the world. There are around 15 million Americans who have headaches everyday. For those of you mathematically inclined headache suffers that would be 5,475,000,000 headaches a year. Of that number three quarters will take at least one painkiller a month for headache relief and the estimated cost attributed to headaches is over $50 billion. Now it becomes obvious why there probably is an entire section dedicated to painkiller at your local pharmacy. Headaches Come Many Forms Headaches come in many varieties. There are 12 categories of headaches with tension and migraine being the most recognizable names on the list. We will attempt to give you a brief overview of a few common types. Tension Headaches Tension headaches are by far the most common and are associated with cycles of pain caused by muscle tension. Stress of any kind can produce muscle tension, which promotes pain, which brings about more stress and more muscle tension. Many doctors use this as the catch all headache category. If you’re splitting head pain can’t be classified as organic, migraine, or cluster then it probably will be classified as a tension headache. Migraine Headaches Migraines are serious headaches. They are one sided vascular headaches accompanied by disorientation, double vision, throbbing pain, fatigue, nausea and in some cases vomiting. The pain is related to vascular changes. In a migraine headaches initial stage, the veins in the scalp constrict, and once the party in your head gets going the veins then dilate. The number of reported migraines in North America had continued to rise and the current numbers suggest that somewhere around 25 percent of all people will experience one or more migraines in their lifetime. Cluster Headaches This type of headache is similar to a migraine due to its vascular nature. Cluster headaches begin with a sense of fullness in the ear; leading to sharp unilateral pain near the eye, forehead, and check; then, within minutes turns into an intense headache. The pain associated with cluster headaches is beyond comprehension and most doctors agree. Recently a noted doctor stated that he believed that cluster headache pain is even worse than the pain associated with childbirth. Cluster headaches tend to visit two to three hours after bedtime or in the early hours of the morning and can last up to 3 hours. They are man haters attacking four times more men than women. Symptoms include flushed face, sweating on the forehead, abdomen, and trunk, teary eyes, and drainage from the nose and exhaustion once the pain subsides. Organic Headaches Normally organic is a term that gives us that warm caring feeling but not when it comes to headaches. Organic headaches are normally connected very serious, sometimes life threatening causes. There are over 300 known conditions that can cause organic headaches including: brain tumors, hypertension, ruptured aneurysm, glaucoma, and certain types of neuralgia. Just with many types of headaches the pain is normally intense, and can occur suddenly with little or no warning. If you feel you have been affected by this type of headache you should contact a medical professional immediately. Trauma Headaches This type of headache occurs after an injury to the neck, head, or spine. Symptoms can become apparent with in a day or 2 of an injury or years later. Headaches falling into this category can present similar symptoms to migraine, vascular, or tension headaches. The pain can vary widely in severity at the site of the injury. These headaches may come in clusters, they may be continuous, they may occur daily, or they may be rare. They can last from 20 minutes to all day long. In certain cases trauma headaches can be especially hard to diagnose, especially if it is related to forgotten trauma. Allergy and Sensitivity Headaches You probably have experienced certain external factors that you believe contributed to a headache sometime in your life, and you probably were correct. It is estimated that 70 percent of all headaches may be allergy/sensitivity headaches that are triggered by reactions to food, inhalants, chemicals and other substances. In allergy/sensitivity headaches the temporal arteries in the skull expand, the vessel walls thin, and fluid leaks into the surrounding tissue. This then causes the brain to swell, and pain occurs as the tissues stretch and the brain presses against the skull. This type of headache usually begins within 12 hours of exposure but onset can be more rapid. You can recognize this unfriendly neighbor by generalized pain that can be throbbing or dull and may be continuous or in brief jolts. Physical activity will usually worsen this condition so skip the jumping jacks.
This type of headache can be caused by straining, blinking, squinting, and performing visually stressful tasks which put pressure on the muscles across the face a scalp, and ultimately result in headache pain behind the eyes. Eyestrain headaches are often brought about by a decrease in a person’s ability to focus at close range; refractive disorders; or an irregularity in the curvature of the lens of the eye. Other reasons would include improperly fitted glasses or contacts, poor lighting, prolonged computer screen exposure, posture problems while reading, and the failure of both eyes to work together. Eyestrain headache pain is a steady pain that is felt behind the eyes and at the top of the head. It may come and go within an hour or stay with you for the whole day. Helpful Tips for Reducing Headaches Besides food and muscle tension, there are a myriad of factors that can cause a particular flavor of headache. Something as simple as changing your air filter once a month could radically reduce the frequency of headaches associated with airborne irritants. Below are a few tips that you may find helpful: Reach for the Aspirin - Aspirin has had resurgence in recent years due to the studies which tout its importance in preventing heart attack and stroke. Aspirin has been around for thousands of years. It not only is a potent painkiller but works to prevent clotting agents from sticking together. The ability to reduce clotting can help to minimize the arterial pounding that causes headaches. Exercise – When you exercise your body secrets endorphins that can help to dull headache pain. Exercise is also an excellent way to reduce anxiety and tension, which can help relieve tension type headaches. Turn Your Back on Coffee – Some of us love our coffee almost as much as we love our significant other, but there comes a time when the pain outweighs the gain. Coffee and other caffeine laden drinks can make your blood vessels constrict and dilate, causing headaches. If dumping your coffee is too much to ask consider switching to decaf. View this as a modification of your special relationship. Don’t Skip Meals – Try to eat healthful, regular meals to reduce headache attacks. Consistent Sleep Patterns – For some of you with odd work schedules this may not be an option but if possible establishing a consistent sleep pattern can reduce headaches. You should also make sure that your pillow is the proper height to avoid straining your neck. Environmental Cleanup – Throw away any cleaning products than you have chemical sensitivities, clean any area where dust might be hiding, such as imitation flowers or plants, change the air filter, and make sure your air filter has a quality rating or 8 or higher. Use Biofeedback Techniques – Biofeedback techniques such as listening to music or sounds, breathing exercises, and meditation, are helpful in both relaxing and helping to cope with headache pain. Eliminate Refined Sugar – For some eliminating or reducing refined sugar intake will have no benefit but if you are one of the millions with blood sugar problems then this may be the most important tip of all. Teeth Grinding – If you grind your teeth at night, consult your dentist about a bite plate. Reduce Eye Strain – When reading, writing, or working on the computer make sure to have the proper lighting and eye wear. Wear sunglasses to reduce the glare outdoors.
|
| Purchase Remedies Home |
| Library Index |
