Because your nerves in that region are all connected and ultimately lead to your head, strain in your neck, shoulders, or back can produce headaches. Usually these kinds of headaches start out very localized, but can often spread over your entire head. Cures for headaches of this kind are difficult, as you have to cease doing whatever it is that is causing the strain, and may need extensive physical therapy to help your muscles recover.

Then there are sinus headaches. These are especially nasty, but fortunately are rarely a constant reoccurring phenomenon. Sinus headaches result from pressure in your sinuses, as a result from allergies, colds, or a sinus infection. If you get sinus headaches a lot, you may be suffering from allergies. Cures for headaches of this type can range from allergy treatments, to decongestants. My favorite is Claritin.

Unfortunately, headaches are one of the most complicated and poorly understood phenomenons in the medical world. Have you ever tried asking your doctor about cures for headaches? If you ask ten different doctors about headaches, you’ll get ten different answers.

The reason why doctors give you so many different answers is because headaches can have so many causes, and a lot of them aren’t really clear. If you get a lot of headaches, the first step you should do is try and figure out what kind of headaches you’re getting. From my understanding, there are a few different kinds.

Last but certainly not least, are migraines; everyone’s favorite and the least understood of the headache family. There are so many potential causes for migraines its not funny. If you suffer from migraines often, like me, it’s a good start to keep a kind of headache log.

Record hours you slept, how well you slept, what you ate and drank, what you did during the day, anything you can think of and see if you can detect patterns with your headaches. If you can’t get your finger on it there’s always painkillers. While they’re certainly not cures for headaches, they are better than nothing.

If you suffer from frequent headaches like me, finding some effective cures for headaches has probably been a personal goal of yours. I know for me it has been like the search for the Holy Grail. I would gladly sell my soul for some kind of magic pill of treatment that would serve as a once and for all cure for headaches.

The most common and frequent of ailments, headaches are never termed as ‘disease’, but may be indicative of certain other underlying problems. However, headaches are fairly common and can be a cause for concern in individuals as it tends to upset a persons daily routine.

The most common types of headaches include tension headache (muscular contraction headache), migraines (vascular headaches) and cluster headache. Cluster headache are generally extremely painful and may occur several times a day or not occur at all for days. In some cases these headaches may require a visit to a medical provider.

There are some rare types of headaches also which deserve a mention here for the simple fact that they affect a sizeable number of individuals from time to time. These headaches include:

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (headache with visual symptoms due to raised intracranial pressure Ictal headache Brain freeze (also known as:ice cream headache) Thunderclap headache Vascular headache Toxic headache Coital cephalalgia (sex headache) Hemicrania continua Rebound headache (medication overuse headache, abbreviated MOH) Spinal headache (post-dural puncture headaches) after lumbar puncture or related procedure that will lower the intracranial pressure Hangover headache (caused by heavy alcohol consumption)

Headaches often result from traction to or irritation of the meninges and blood vessels. Pain, during a headache, transpires in the brain tissues, muscles, nerves and blood vessels around the scalp, face, and neck. Lacking in nociceptors, the brain itself is insensitive to pain. However, the dura mater (the membrane surrounding the brain and the spinal cord), is resplendent with nociceptors. Stimulation of any kind to the dural nociceptors produces headaches.

Tension headaches and their symptoms

Tension headaches are a type of headache that results from contraction of the head and neck muscles. The most common type of headache, it accounts for almost 70% of all headaches that occur. Tension headaches can occur in either sex and at any age; however, it is most common in adults and adolescents.

This type of headache particularly occurs in isolated incidents but may become chronic in some people. Possible causes include:

Stress Fatigue Poor posture Eye strain Tobacco and alcohol use Performing an activity with the head held up in one position for a long time Sleeping in a cold room Sleeping in an abnormal position Overexerting oneself Clenching or grinding the teeth Hormonal changes before and after menstrual periods(in women only)

During tension headaches, pain is felt in the generalised area of the head and neck. In addition, the pain may be situated in the back of the head and neck – feeling like an ‘extremely tight band’. The pain is sometimes accompanied by muscle tightness in the back of the neck also. Nonetheless, tension headache do not last long if treated well in time.

Headache – effective treatment

Treatment for a simple headache is as a rule symptomatic. Over-the-counter painkillers are generally known to work effectively but headaches like migraines may require specific treatment. Headaches in general and migraines in particular may result from specific allergic triggers like stress or unambiguous foods. If known, it is best to avoid these allergic triggers in order to remain ailment free.

If an individual is suffering from chronic headaches, a ‘headache’ diary could prove to be quite useful as it would help the doctor figure out what kind of treatment is most appropriate for your diagnosis. The easiest way to do this would be to write the dates of headaches on a calendar.

Moreover, maintaining a diary requires making a note of when the pain started and how long it lasted. You must also note down other additional factors pertaining to food and drink that may have triggered your condition, other medicines taken, daily activities, and weather conditions. In the case of women, maintaining detailed information about their periods would also help a lot.

While every individual will require an exclusive form of treatment, over-the-counter pain relievers like paracetamol (Panadol), aspirin (Aspro clear) and ibuprofen (Nurofen) are seen to work effectively in most people with non-chronic headaches; lifestyle changes may also help. But, prescription medicines may be more helpful in people with chronic migraines.

HOW ARE HEADACHES CATEGORIZED

Studies show that 90 percent of all types of headaches are classified as tension and muscle contraction. However, there most experts would agree that headache could be further classified into two broad categories: the primary and the secondary.

Primary headache includes migraine, cluster, and tension headache. Migraine headache are usually characterized by throbbing pain on one side of the head, queasiness, over sensitivity to light and sound especially to bright lights and loud noises. Statistics say that 18 to 28 million Americans suffer from migraines and majority of which is women.

Aside from throbbing or pulsing pain, migraine is also characterized by visual disturbances, numbness of the face, nausea, and heavy vomiting. Usually triggered by food, stress, heat or cold temperature, strong smells, emotions, fatigue, or hormonal fluctuations, experts say that people who are anxious and depressed are more prone to migraine.

Tension headache, on the other hand, is considered as the common type of headache people suffer from. Characterized by a tight band of pressure around a person’s head, heavy throbbing of temples, light and sound sensitivity, vomiting, general muscle aches, difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep, chronic fatigue, irritability and disturbed concentration, tension headache is said is traced from physical or emotional stress.

Major lifestyle adjustments like having a regular physical activity or exercise, proper and balanced diet, proper stress management and maintaining good posture can help a person a lot to avoid tension headache.

If tension headache is the most common type of headache, cluster headache is the least common of all types. Greatly affecting men instead of women, cluster headaches are characterized by severe pain usually centered in one eye that leads to swelling and watering of the affected area and severe and unbearable pain in the head.

Triggered by alcohol and cigarettes, experts say that there is no concrete cause of this type yet. Treatment may include taking in medications similar to those used for migraine like sumatriptan, triptans, and the like.

The other classification of headache is called secondary headaches. Usually triggered by an underlying or existing disorder like infection, injury, or tumor, secondary headaches are known to be results major illnesses.

Secondary headaches are also considered as side effects of various disorders like a recent head injury, meningitis, sinus infection, brain tumor, eye diseases, spinal injury, arthritis, and the inflammation of the arteries or temporal arteritis.

In order to treat any type of headache, experts advise that you must know the possible causes first. Studies show that all types of headaches are usually chemical, emotional, or structural related problems.

1. Dental problems. One of the most common reasons of headaches is dental problem. Findings prove that if the teeth of a person’s upper and lower jaw fail to meet properly, this can result to muscle tension that leads to headache.

Another dental-related cause of headache is the grinding or clenching of the teeth at night or bruxism. Because of the strain caused by heavy chewing or grinding, certain bones and muscles in the jaw are greatly stimulated that triggers headache.

What you can do is to increase your calcium and magnesium intake or use a plastic mouthpiece to reduce clenching and grinding. Aside from bruxism, another headache-related dental problem is known as temporomandibular disorder (TMD) cycle of pain, muscle spasms, and joint imbalance that involves the jaw and the skull and results to interruption of bones, cartilage and muscle activity. You can ask your dentist to evaluate this situation and recommend treatment options to solve the problem.

2. Chemical sensitivities. Chemicals found in different gadgets such as computers are one of the major triggers of headaches such as migraine.

Caffeine that is usually found in sodas, coffee, tea, chocolate, and some over the counter painkillers can also cause headaches. Try to eliminate all the sources of caffeine from your diet.

3. Magnesium deficiency. If a person suffers from magnesium deficiency, he/she may likely suffer from headaches compared to those who are not.

In order to maintain enough magnesium supply, avoid too much mental stress, drinking lots of coffee, eating sugary foods, a high sodium, carbohydrate and calcium diet, alcohol intake, drinking sodas, cigarette smoking, diuretics, and taking in drugs of all types.

4. Infections and bacterial disease. Infections in the different areas of the body such as the nose, throat, and ear can cause major headache.

Characterized by fever, nausea, muscle aches, chills, and diarrhea, Bacterial disease such as ehrlichiosis can be a major cause of headache. Make sure that you visit your physician to get proper treatment.

5. Muscle tension caused by stress and anxiety. Tensioned muscles usually cause headaches. What you can do is to veer away from things that can cause you stress and anxiety in order to avoid recurrent muscle tension.

6. Musculoskeletal system problems. Misalignments of a person’s spine and neck can greatly affect his/her poor posture and muscle tension that lead to headache. Try chiropractic, osteopathy, and physiotherapy treatments to solve this problem.

7. Eye problems. Various eye problems greatly contribute to headache. Visit your optometrist or ophthalmologist is your eyes need glasses or contact lenses already.

8. Lack of sleep and bad sleeping habits. Without enough sleep, your body is always tired. Muscle tension can build up which leads to headaches. Try to get enough hours of sleep and make sure that you eliminate bad sleeping habits such as using too many pillow or pulling a blanket over your to avoid having a headache.

9. Menstruation. Fluctuations of female’s hormone levels can also cause a great deal of headache. You can ask your doctor for helpful vitamins and supplements to solve this cause.

10. Neurological problems. Although it is a rare cause of headache, ask neurologists to examine you for possible brain tumors.

By conducting a series of tests such as CT or MRI, you can trace the possible cause of your recurrent headache. Other causes include migraine, sinusitis, fevers, glaucoma, and neuralgia. Other serious causes of headache may include meningitis, sub-arachnoid haemorrhage, stroke, blood pressure, brain tumor, and temporal arteritis.

Reports suggest that at least 40% people in the UK suffer headache at some point to the extent that can affect the quality of their life. It is generally defined as a pain in and around the head. Some types of headaches are discussed below briefly.

What are tension headaches?

The most common type of headache suffered by the majority of people worldwide is due to tension-type. Tension headache are also known as stress headache or muscular headaches. If it occurs more frequently, then you should seek treatment. However, occasional headaches are common to occur at least once or twice in a month. During the times of excess stress, headaches can be even more frequent. The symptoms of tension headaches are pain or pressure on both sides of the head, pain at your temples, and pain at the back of your head or neck.

What are Cluster headaches?

The cluster headaches are frequent and short-lived. They can last even less than an hour. The most common symptoms of cluster headache include excruciating knife-like pain that is centred on one eye, and can spread to other areas on the same side of the head. You may feel excess sweating, redness, or watering of the eye. Your nose becomes runny or bunged-up and sometimes an eyelid droops. Most of the sufferers may feel agitated and unable to sit.

What is Sinus headache?

If you have a deep and constant pain in your forehead, cheekbones, or the bridge of your nose, then these are considered as symptoms of Sinus headache. Some other symptoms of Sinus headaches are runny nose, fever, and facial swelling.

Treatment of headaches

Irrespective of its type, headaches can greatly affect your sleep and life. It can lead to fatigue, tiredness, and even stress. An immediate treatment should be sought for headaches if they occur frequently and cause a major health problem. You can try a host of therapies for headache treatment such as:

Aromatherapy – In this therapy, oil taken out of flowers, fruits, leaves, shrubs, and tress is used for therapeutic benefits. Chiropractic – It means gentle manipulation of muscles and joints to reduce pain and promote good health. Physiotherapy – It is the most commonly used therapy for treating a host of physical injuries, diseases, and dysfunction.

For immediate relief from headaches, most people simply take painkillers that sometimes prove effective for most types of headaches. However, it can be risky if you take medications too often. You should try to reduce taking painkillers as much as possible. Instead look for other treatments that are less risky.

With the help of medical technology, some revolutionary devices have been designed that help in the treatment of headaches. One of these popular devices is Cefaly, which uses electrotherapy for pain relief. This device is easy to use and incredibly comfortable. There are no side effects of using this medical device, as it has been well tested in its many trials. Cefaly can be available from any local store or online.

Product Description
The up-to-the-minute guide to understanding and treating migraines for all migraine sufferers and their families Across America, twenty-eight million people suffer from migraines, costing the nation millions of dollars in lost work and school days, medication, and countless visits to doctors and hospitals. At the world-renowned Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, Dr. Seymour Diamond has spent more than thirty years helping thousands of headache sufferers conquer t… More >>

Conquering Your Migraine: The Essential Guide to Understanding and Treating Migraines for all Sufferers and Their Families