Everything You Need to Know About Headaches

A headache is a painful condition affecting one or more areas of the head. A headache can be caused by a lot of factors, either harmless or more serious. Though, a great majority usually does not pose a serious threat to one's health. Among the most common contributing factors to headaches are stress, irregular sleeping patterns, medications, allergies, and very strenuous exercise.

At times, though rarely, a headache can be a symptom of an underlying serious disorder like brain tumor, encephalitis, meningitis, aneurysm, and stroke. While most headaches need no further diagnostic testing, prompt medical attention is needed in any of the following:

* Headache accompanied by vomiting, visual disturbances, and dizziness

* Sudden, severe headache

* Headache following an injury or blow to the head

* Headache accompanied by loss of consciousness

* Persistent headache in children

* Headache accompanied by confusion

COMMON TYPES OF HEADACHE

1) MIGRAINE - considered the most common vascular headache, it is marked by severe pain situated on one side of the head. At times, both sides of the head are affected. Sensitivity to light and visual disturbances may be present in some people. Other migraine sufferers report accompanying nausea and/or vomiting.

* FOODS THAT TRIGGER MIGRAINE:
a) MSG (Monosodium glutamate)
b) Caffeine
c) Chocolate
d) Sour Cream
e) Onions
f) Pickles
g) Aspartame
h) Alcoholic drinks
i) Nuts
j) Processed meat
k) Soy sauce
l) Lima beans

PREVENTIVE MEASURES/TREATMENT:

* Foods that trigger migraine should be avoided.

* Stress, which is one of the most notable factors that bring about migraine, needs to be managed and a regular exercise program can greatly help. Walking and swimming regularly are both recommended.

Developing a regular sleeping pattern would also be quite helpful.

* Like most headaches, migraines respond to pain relievers or analgesics like paracetamol, aspirin, or ibuprofen. The long-term use of painkillers, however, is discouraged.

* Migraines have been found to respond very well to preventive medication/treatment prescribed by a physician. Of late, an analgesic made of combined caffeine and paracetamol has been developed among other herbal supplements found to prevent migraine but as always, make it a habit to consult a doctor before trying new medications.

2) CLUSTER HEADACHES - like migraine, a cluster headache is also a vascular type of headache (resulting from irritation to blood vessels in the brain and pain is felt in the head) and is characterized by recurrent or repeated episodes of pain affecting one side of the head.
It usually brings pain to the eyes, making the eyes water, and comes with a runny nose.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES/TREATMENT

* Cluster headaches, like most headaches, also respond to analgesics
(paracetamol, ibuprofen, and aspirin).

* Regular(moderate) exercise is recommended to manage stress. Very strenous exercise/physical activity should be avoided.

* Avoid alcoholic drinks.

* Do not smoke--tobacco use interferes with pain relievers/medication.

3) TENSION HEADACHE - this is the most common type of headache. But, unlike migraine, a tension headache is muscular or myogenic in nature and is often characterized by tension or a tightening of the facial and neck muscles.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES/TREATMENT

* Relax to avoid stress-- certain events/incidents trigger tension headache and dwelling on them does not help.

* Regular exercise - helps to reduce the frequency and the intensity of tension headaches.

* Make sure to get plenty of sleep to lessen the tension.

* Do not do too many tasks at the same time. Go through them one at a time and take breaks in between tasks to relax the muscles.

* Tension headaches respond to over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen/paracetamol, aspirin, and ibuprofen.

4) SINUS HEADACHE- a headache of inflammatory nature/origin. It is often due to allergies that infect the sinuses and inflames the nasal passages thereby causing SINUSITIS. Therefore, a sinus headache is due to the underlying disorder-- in this case, SINUSITIS.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES/TREATMENT

* Wash your hands properly and frequently to avoid getting colds or other infections by the "hand-to-mouth", "hand-to-eyes", and/or "hand-to-nose" routes. Colds can trigger Sinusitis.

* Avoid exposure to allergens or anything that causes allergic reactions.

* Avoid alcoholic beverages.

* Pain relievers (again, ibuprofen, paracetamol, aspirin) help a lot, but since the headache is caused by Sinusitis, it would make sense to treat the root cause (Sinusitis) through the use of decongestants prescribed by your doctor.

* Consult an Allergist (a doctor specializing in the treatment of allergies) for the treatment and management of allergies.

* Also see a doctor for treatment of persistent colds and other respiratory infections.

Again, not all headaches need medical attention. Most headaches are diagnosed either as TENSION HEADACHES or MIGRAINE HEADACHES. In cases where headache is recurrent and severe, a physician should be consulted for a more accurate diagnosis. In the event that some abnormalities may be noted, further diagnostic testing is suggested (MRI, CT scan, and blood tests).

In summary, headaches are mostly preventable or easy to treat. However, this does not mean that headaches should be taken for granted or dismissed as "something that will just go away". Never compromise your health. If headache persists with accompanying nagging symptoms, consult your doctor.