HEALTH: HEADACHES (HEAD PAIN) HEADACHE TREATMENTS Migraine Headaches>>
What is an Headache?
Headache is defined as pain in the head that is located above the eyes or the ears, behind the head (occipital), or in the back of the upper neck. It is one of the most common locations of pain in the body and has many causes. Headaches are one of the most common pain-related health problems in both children and adults. You may have a headache along with another minor health problem such as a sore throat, cold, or sinus problem.
Headaches have numerous causes, and in 2007 the International Headache Society agreed upon an updated classification system for headache. Because so many people suffer from headaches, and because treatment is sometimes difficult, the new classification system allows health care practitioners to understand a specific diagnosis more completely to provide better and more effective treatment regimens. The most common types of headaches usually are not serious but may occur again and again.
Kids get headaches, too! Many adults with headaches started having them as kids -- in fact, 20% of adult headache sufferers say their headaches started before age 10, and 50% report their headaches started before age 20. Headaches are very common in children and adolescents. In one study, 56% of boys and 74% of girls between the ages of 12 and 17 reported having had a headache within the past month. By age 15, 5% of all children and adolescents have had migraines and 15% have had tension headaches.
Many parents worry that their child's headache is the sign of a brain tumor or serious health condition, but most headaches in children and adolescents are not the result of a serious illness. Children get the same types of headaches adults do, including: tension headaches, migraine, and sinus headaches.
Children get headaches for many of the same reasons adults get headaches. But, most headaches in children are usually due to an illness, infection, cold or fever. Other health conditions that can cause headaches include sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), pharyngitis (inflammation or infection of the throat) or otitis (ear infection).
The exact causes of migraine are unknown, although they are related to changes in the brain as well as to genetic causes. For many years, scientists believed that migraine was linked to the expanding (dilation) and constriction (narrowing) of blood vessels on the brain's surface. However, it is now believed that migraine is caused by inherited abnormalities in certain areas of the brain.
Most children and adolescents (90%) who have migraine have other family members with migraine. When both parents have a history of migraines, there is a 70% chance that the child will also develop migraine. If only one parent has a history of migraine, the risk drops to 25%-50%. Children and adolescents with migraine may also inherit the tendency to be affected by certain migraine triggers, such as fatigue, bright lights, and changes in weather.
Headaches may improve as your child gets older. The headaches may disappear and then return later in life. By junior high school, many boys who have migraines outgrow them, but in girls, migraine frequency increases because of hormone changes. Migraines are three times more likely to occur in adolescent girls than in boys.
There are three major categories of headaches:
- primary headache
- secondary headache
- cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches
Primary Headache (Head Pain)
Primary headache includes migraine, tension, and cluster headaches, as well as a variety of other less common types of headache. Primary headache affects quality of life. Some people have occasional headaches that resolve quickly, while others are debilitated. Tension, migraine, and cluster headaches are not life-threatening.
Common causes of headaches includes:
- Changes in the levels of chemicals in the body.
- Alcohol, caffeine, or other drug use or withdrawal.
- Coughing or sneezing.
- Dehydration.
- Dental problems or procedures, such as pain from grinding the teeth or from a root canal.
- Eating or drinking cold foods and fluids.
- Emotional stress.
- Exposure to smoke or fumes from chemicals, including carbon monoxide.
- Eyestrain.
- Fever.
- High altitude. Lower oxygen levels at high altitudes can cause headaches.
- High blood pressure (hypertension).
- Infection in the sinuses, such as sinusitis or an abscess.
- Medical procedures, such as the after effects of a lumbar puncture (spinal tap).
- Medicines. Many medicines can cause headaches.
- Muscle strain in the neck, upper back, or shoulder muscles.
- Upper respiratory infections.
Although rare, a headache may be a sign of a serious illness. Other symptoms, such as vomiting, dizziness, or changes in vision, may also be present. The following serious health issues or injuries can cause headaches.
- A head injury:
- Injury to the brain
- Fracture of the skull
- Bleeding in or around the brain
- Brain tumor, which causes swelling within the brain.
- Infection in the brain or of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).
- Stroke, a problem that occurs when a blood vessel (artery) that supplies blood to the brain bursts or is blocked by a blood clot.
- A rupture of a blood vessel with bleeding in or around the brain (aneurysm).
NATURAL CURE FOR HEADACHES
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Migraine Headache is the second most common type of primary headache. An estimated 28 million people in the United States (about 12% of the population) will experience migraine headaches. Migraine headaches affect children as well as adults. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraine headaches, but after puberty, more women than men are affected. An estimated 6% of men and up to 18% of women will experience a migraine headache.
Migraine headaches are severe headaches that usually occur with other symptoms such as visual disturbances or nausea. The pain may be described as throbbing, pounding, or pulsating. It tends to begin on one side of your head, although it may spread to both sides. You may have an "aura" (a group of warning symptoms that start before your headache). The pain usually gets worse as you try to move around. For detailed information on this type of headache, go to: Migraine Headache Cure.
Tension Headache is the most common type of primary headache; as many as 90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches. Tension headaches are more common among women than men. Tension headaches tend to be on both sides of your head. They often start at the back of your head and spread forward. The pain may feel dull or squeezing, like a tight band or vice. Your shoulders, neck, or jaw may feel tight and sore. The pain is usually persistent, but does not get worse with activity.
Health: Causes of Tension Headaches (Head Pain)
While tension headaches are the most frequently occurring type of headache, their cause is not known. The most likely cause is contraction of the muscles that cover the skull. When the muscles covering the skull are stressed, they may spasm and cause pain. Common sites include the base of the skull where the trapezius muscles of the neck inserts, the temple where muscles that assist the jaw to move are located, and the forehead.
There is little research to confirm the exact cause of tension headaches. Tension headache occurs because of physical or emotional stress placed on the body. Physical stress that may cause tension headaches include difficult and prolonged manual labor, or sitting at a desk or computer for long periods of time Emotional stress may also cause tension headaches by causing the muscles surrounding the skull to contract.
Any activity that causes the head to be held in one position for a long time without moving can cause a headache. Such activities include typing or other computer work, fine work with the hands, and using a microscope. Sleeping in a cold room or sleeping with the neck in an abnormal position may also trigger a tension headache.
Health: Symptoms of Tension Headaches (Head Pain)
The symptoms of tension headache are:
- A pain that begins in the back of the head and upper neck as a
band-like tightness or pressure.
- Described as a band
of pressure encircling the head with the most intense pain over the eyebrows.
- The pain is usually mild (not disabling) and bilateral
(affecting both sides of the head).
- Not associated with an
aura (see below) and are not associated with nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to
light and sound.
- Usually occur sporadically (infrequently and
without a pattern) but can occur frequently and even daily in some people.
- Most people are able to function despite their tension headaches.
Health: Risk factors of Tension Headaches (Head Pain)
- Being a woman. One study found that almost 90 percent of women and about 70 percent of men experience tension headaches during their lifetimes.
- Being middle-aged. The incidence of tension headaches appears to peak in the 40s, though people of all ages can get this type of headache.
Health: Conventional Treatment of Tension Headaches (Head Pain)
Tension headache is painful, and often patients are upset that the diagnosis is "only" a tension headache. Though it is not life-threatening, a tension headache can affect daily life activities.
Most people successfully treat themselves with over-the–counter (OTC) pain medications to control tension headaches. The following work well for most people:
- aspirin
- ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil)
- acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- naproxen (Aleve)
If these fail,
other supportive treatments are available. Recurrent headaches should be a
signal to seek medical help. Massage, biofeedback, and stress management can all
be used as adjuncts to help with headache control.
Health: Prevention of Tension Headaches (Head Pain)
Tips to prevent tension headaches:
Cluster Headache is a rare type of primary headache, affecting 0.1% of the population. An estimated 85% of cluster headache sufferers are men. The average age of cluster headache sufferers is 28-30 years of age, although headaches may begin in childhood. Cluster headaches are sharp, extremely painful headaches that tend to occur several times per day for months and then go away for a similar period. They are far less common.
Health: Causes of Cluster Headaches (Head Pain)
The cause of cluster headaches is uncertain. It may be that certain parts of the brain begin to malfunction for an unknown reason. The hypothalamus, an area located at the base of the brain is responsible for the body's biologic clock and may be the part of the brain that is the source for the headaches. When brain scans are performed on patients who are in the midst of a cluster headache, there is abnormal activity in the hypothalamus.
Cluster headaches also:
- tend to run in families and this suggests that there may be
a genetic role.
- may be triggered by changes in sleep patterns.
- may be triggered by medications (for example, nitroglycerin, used for heart disease).
If the patient is in a susceptible period for cluster headache,
cigarette smoking, alcohol, and some foods (for example, chocolate) can
precipitate the headache.
Health: Symptoms of Cluster Headaches (Head Pain)
Cluster headaches are headaches that come in groups (clusters) lasting weeks or months, separated by pain-free periods of months or years.
- During the period
in which the cluster headaches occur, pain typically occurs once or twice daily,
but some patients may experience pain more than twice daily.
- Each episode of
pain lasts from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.
- Attacks tend to occur at about
the same time every day and often awaken the patient at night from a sound
sleep.
- The pain typically is excruciating and located around or behind one eye.
- Some patients describe the pain as feeling like a hot poker in the eye. The
affected eye may become red, inflamed, and watery.
- The nose on the affected side may become congested and runny.
Unlike patients with migraine headaches, patients with cluster headaches tend to be restless. They often pace the floor, bang their heads against a wall, and can be driven to desperate measures. Cluster headaches are much more common in males than females. People with cluster headaches usually avoid lying down during an attack because this position seems to increase the pain.
Some migraine-like symptoms, including nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and aura, may occur with a cluster headache. Cluster headaches may occur daily for months, alternating with periods without headaches (episodic), or they can recur for a year or more without stopping (chronic).
Health: Risk factors of Cluster Headaches (Head Pain)
- Being a man. Men are more likely than are women to have cluster headaches.
- Being an adult. Most people with cluster headaches first develop the disorder in their late 20s, although the condition can develop at any age.
- Being black. African Americans are more likely than whites to experience cluster headaches.
- Smoking. Many people who get cluster headache attacks are smokers.
- Drinking alcohol. Alcohol can trigger an attack if you're at risk of cluster headaches.
- A family history. If a parent or sibling has ever had a cluster headache, you may have an increased risk of cluster headaches.
Health: Conventional Treatment of Cluster Headaches (Head Pain)
Cluster headache may be very difficult to treat, and it make take trial and error to find the specific treatment regimen that will work for each patient. Since the headache recurs daily, there are two treatment needs. The pain of the first episode needs to be controlled , and additional headaches need to be prevented.
Treatment does not cure cluster headaches. The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms. The headaches may go away on their own, or you may need treatment to prevent them.
Smoking, alcohol use, specific foods, and other factors that seem to trigger cluster headaches should be avoided. A headache diary can help you identify your headache triggers. When you get a headache, write down the day and time the pain began. The diary should include notes about what you ate and drank in the last 24 hours, how much you slept and when, and what was going on in your life immediately before the pain started. For example, were you under any unusual stress? Also include information about how long the headache lasted, and what made it stop.
Treatment of cluster headaches involves:
- Methods to treat the pain when it happens
- Medicines to prevent the headaches
Your doctor may recommend the following treatments when a headache occurs:
- Several weeks of anti-inflammatory (steroid) medicines such as prednisone -- starting with a high dose, then gradually decreased
- Breathing in 100% (pure) oxygen -- often relieves cluster headache for some people, particularly for frequent cluster headaches that occur at night
A combination of medicines may be needed to control headache symptoms. Because each person responds differently to medicine, your doctor may have you try several medications before deciding which works best for you.
Painkillers do not usually relieve the pain from cluster headaches. Generally, they take too long to work.
Sinus Headache causes pain in the front of your
head and face. They are due to inflammation in the sinus passages that
lie behind the cheeks, nose, and eyes. The pain tends to be worse when
you bend forward and when you first wake up in the morning. Postnasal drip, sore throat, and nasal discharge usually occur with these headaches.
Headaches often accompany sinusitis, a health condition in which the membranes lining the sinuses become swollen and inflamed. But many people who assume they have sinus headaches actually have migraines or tension headaches.
When headaches caused by sinusitis do occur, proper diagnosis and treatment are the keys to relief.
Sinusitis can be caused by colds, allergies, bacterial or fungal infections, an impaired immune system, or structural problems in the nasal cavity. The resulting pressure changes in the sinuses can trigger headache.
Health: Symptoms of Sinus Headaches (Head Pain)
Sinus headache symptoms may include:
- Pain, pressure, and fullness in your cheeks, brow or forehead
- Pain may worsen when you bend forward or lie down
- Yellow-green or blood-tinged nasal discharge
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Cough
- Fatigue
So what's the confusion with migraines? The symptoms of the two types of headaches often overlap. Migraine pain often gets worse when you bend forward, and migraines can be accompanied by various nasal symptoms — including congestion, facial pressure and a clear, watery nasal discharge.
Sinus headache, however, usually isn't associated with nausea or vomiting, or aggravated by noise or bright light — all common features of migraines.
Health: Risk factors of Sinus Headaches (Head Pain)
Sinusitis can affect anyone. You may be more likely to develop chronic sinusitis if you have:
- Asthma
- Nasal growths (polyps)
- Allergies to dust, mold or pollen
- A weak immune system
- A condition that affects the way mucus moves within your respiratory system, such as cystic fibrosis
Health: Conventional Treatment of Sinus Headaches (Head Pain)
If you're diagnosed with sinusitis, your doctor may recommend antibiotics. Be sure to finish the entire course of medication you are prescribed- even if your signs and symptoms disappear before all the pills or capsules are gone. This is the only way to eradicate the germs causing the infection. If the sinusitis is related to inflammation or allergies, your doctor may prescribe corticosteroid nasal sprays or pills.
As the sinus infection clears up, the sinus headache should disappear. In the meantime, over-the-counter pain relievers, decongestants and saline nasal spray might help you feel better. Use these products only as directed. It may help to drink plenty of fluids as well.
If a structural problem in your nasal cavity is contributing to sinusitis or sinus headache, surgical correction may be recommended.
Health: Prevention of Sinus Headaches (Head Pain)
To reduce the risk of sinusitis, keep your sinuses healthy.
- Wash your hands often. Soap and water can help you avoid the upper respiratory infections that can lead to sinusitis. You may want to ask your doctor about a yearly flu vaccine as well.
- Avoid irritants. Avoid cigarette, cigar and pipe smoke. These and other air pollutants can cause your sinus membranes to swell.
- Use a humidifier. Adding moisture to dry indoor air can help prevent sinusitis — but don't overdo it. High indoor humidity can promote mold and dust mite growth in your home. Be sure the humidifier is clean and kept free of mold.
Hormonal Headache happens when certain levels of sex hormones, mostly estrogen fluctuate during a woman’s normal cycle and throughout her lifetime. These headaches can be associated with pregnancy, menopause, menstruation and pre-menstruation.
Everyone has heard of the typical symptoms of PMS with headache pain being in the forefront but not too many people realize this is due to the drop in estrogen that happens right before you get your period. In some cases, the headaches can be light but in many cases the headaches are quite severe and can even be debilitating.
There is another headache that can happen during your period and this is actually called a menstrual migraine as its symptoms are quite similar to that of a migraine and can include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and, of course, severe pain.
Because oral contraceptives help to regulate the estrogen somewhat, many women who take these report that their incidence of headaches goes down. However this is a double-edged sword because while many women report fewer headaches, just as many report that their headaches get worse.
Hormone headache can also happen during the beginning of pregnancy as well as the beginning of menopause. This, again, is due to fluctuating levels of hormones. Because their symptoms are so similar migraine headache with intense throbbing pain usually on one side of the head they are often mistaken for migraines and not what they truly are.
Other then during pregnancy, these headaches can often be controlled with medicine. People on oral contraceptives can sometimes have their dosage adjusted which may make the headaches go away. In many cases, the drugs used to treat migraine headaches are successful in also treating hormonal headaches.
Just like the migraine, hormone headache need to be treated at the first sign of headache because the drugs treating it are preventative and work best if you can catch it in the very beginning. In the case of hormonal headaches, this can usually be done easily especially if you know that they happen at a certain time in your cycle. If you know when the headache is going to happen you can start treating it the day before with good results.
Just like with any other kind of headache, however, overuse of the medications to treat them can cause rebound headaches so your best to consult with your physician before taking any kind of headache medication and use it only as recommended.
Secondary Headaches (Head Pain)
Secondary headaches are those that are due to an underlying structural problem in the head or neck. There are numerous causes of this type of headache ranging from bleeding in the brain, tumor, or meningitis and encephalitis.
Health: Headache - Related Health Conditions
The International Headache Society lists eight categories of secondary headache. A few examples in each category are noted (this is not a complete list):
Head and neck trauma
- Injuries to the head may cause bleeding in the spaces between the layers of
tissue that surround the brain (subdural, epidural and subarachnoid bleeding) or
within the brain tissue itself.
- Concussions, where head injury occurs without bleeding
- A symptom of whiplash and neck injury
Blood vessel problems in the head and neck
- Sroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
- Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) may cause headache before they leak.
- The carotid artery in the neck can become inflamed and cause pain.
- Temporal arteritis (inflammation of the temporal artery)
Non-blood vessel problems of the brain
- Brain tumors, either primary, originating in the brain or metastatic from a cancer that began in another organ
- Seizures
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, once named pseudotumor cerebri, where
there is too much cerebrospinal fluid pressure within the spinal canal.
Medications and drugs (including withdrawal
from those drugs)
Infection
Changes in the body's environment
- High Blood Pressure (hypertension)
- Dehydration
- Hypothyroidism
- Renal dialysis
Health problems with the eyes, ears, nose throat, teeth and neck, or psychiatric disorders.
Other health conditions that can cause or contribute to headaches include:
- Fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread muscle and soft tissue pain and tenderness.
- Glaucoma, an eye disease that damages the nerves at the back of the eye.
- High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
- Kidney disease, which causes wastes to build up in the blood.
- Low
calcium levels in the blood (hypocalcemia) or overactivity of the gland
that helps control the release of calcium into the blood.
- Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by certain types of ticks.
- Mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression.
- Problems with pregnancy, such as severe high blood pressure.
- Sleep problems, such as insomnia or sleep apnea.
- Thyroid problems, such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
Tests for secondary headaches
The patient history and physical examination provide the best means for determining the cause of secondary headaches. Therefore, it is extremely important that patients with severe headaches seek medical care and give their health care practitioner an opportunity to assess their condition. Tests that may be useful in making the diagnosis of the underlying disease causing headaches include:
- blood tests,
- computerized tomography (CT Scan),
- magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) scans of the head, and
- lumbar puncture.
Specific tests will depend upon what potential issues the health care practitioner and patient want to address.
Health: Cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches (head pain)
Neuralgia means nerve pain (neur= nerve + algia=pain). Cranial neuralgia describes a group of headaches that occur because the nerves in the head and upper neck become inflamed and are the source of the head pain. Facial pain and a variety of other causes for headache are included in this category.
When to seek medical help or your health care provider:
Take the following symptoms seriously. If you cannot see your health care provider immediately, go to the emergency room or call 911 if:
- This is the first headache you have every had in your life and it interferes with your daily activities
- Your headache comes on suddenly and is explosive or violent
- You would describe your headache as "your worst ever", even if you are prone to headaches
- Your headache is associated with slurred speech, change in vision, problems moving your arms or legs, loss of balance, confusion, or memory loss
- Your headache gets progressively worse over a 24-hour period
- Your headache is accompanied by fever, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting
- Your headache occurs with a head injury
- Your headache is severe and localized to one eye with redness in that eye
- You are over age 50 and your headaches just began, especially with impaired vision and pain while chewing
See your provider soon if:
- Your headache wakes you up from sleep
- A headache lasts more than a few days
- Headaches are worse in the morning
- You have a history of headaches but they have changed in pattern or intensity
- You have headaches frequently, and there is no known cause
- Starts suddenly or is aggravated by exertion, coughing, bending over, or sexual activity
- Associated with persistent nausea and vomiting
- Associated with seizures
- Not responding to treatment and is getting worse
Health: Prevention of Headaches (Head Pain)
The following healthy habits can lessen stress and reduce your chance of getting a headache:
- Getting adequate sleep
- Eating a healthy diet
- Exercising regularly
- Stretching your neck and upper body, especially if your work involves typing or using a computer
- Learning proper posture
- Quitting smoking
- Learning to relax
- Wearing proper eyeglasses, if needed
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Sources: NIH News In Health/National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine/Dept of Health and Human Services_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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