Wednesday, October 31, 2007

How To Prevent Headache?

Ashish Jain

But the attack of headache is so sudden and violent, where is the time to prevent it?

Headache arrives unnoticed and ultimately departs and you forget everything, the causes of its arrival! You have never tried to analyze, why you are repeatedly having the bouts of headache. Preventing headache is not one of the items in your agenda.

You have to do certain things, follow certain regimen to get rid of yourself the headache problems. You just treat the pain, without going to its root causes. You believe you are an active, bright person. That was so, till 9.00 a.m. this morning and you were making brisk preparations to go to your office duty. Suddenly, you are confronted with a nagging, throbbing headache, which would not let you do anything! What can be done, except applying for a day's leave? But, that has not solved the problem throughout the day, you suffer and suffer more. Will it be alright by tomorrow?

For the time being, you have solved the problem by taking antibiotics, but by evening again, it has resurfaced! This has happened to you a number of times in the past.

So, now you have to budget your time, according to your revised plans to live a head-ache free life!

From where do you start?

Do proper exercise at a fixed time of the day. Try your best to live a tension-free life. Avoid stress. What causes the headache? Try to identify the factors. Is it food, alcohol or oversleeping? Yes, sleeping many times cures and at times causes headache. Taking pain killers so often, your body's natural ability to fight the diseases may vanish if you test it with painkillers. Painkillers are not faithful health agents! They also suppress the pain, without affording it a permanent cure. And when the pain resurfaces, it will arrive with double force!

Herbal products and supplements have been proved to be effective in preventing headaches. Learn relaxation therapy from an expert yoga teacher. Some of the techniques those are bound to be helpful for you to prevent headaches are visualization, meditation, deep breathing exercises and many more. Daily practice of such techniques is a must.

Preventing headache is not a course of medicines, it is a discipline!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Know Headaches Caused By Food You Eat

Ashish Jain

The choice of food among human beings has a peculiarity. I like bitter gourd. You hate it. I like coffee, but you love to have black tea. If you consume the food you don't like, under pressure, you have headache. You eat the food according to your choice. You have no headache at all!

Many headaches are food-related. The type of food that you take, have direct body-mind relation and effects.

Take the type of headache known as Hypoglycemia. When you have low blood sugar, you have this type of headache. So, diabetic patients, take care!

If you are taking high doses of insulin you need to monitor it carefully. Since this headache is related to your blood sugar level, a glass of orange juice should bring you immediate relief.

Alternatively, any food stuff that provides simple carbohydrate to your body mechanism, will take care of both, your low blood sugar as well headache!

Another type of head ache related to food, is due to caffeine withdrawal.

Well, you have been drinking at least 6 to 7 cups of coffee/tea per day, and you have again made the New Year Resolution (just as you made resolutions, without success, during the last several years) to give up such drinks. This year's resolution is now week old, and you feel as if someone is pounding your head with the hammer. The headache is unbearable. When the going was good, your caffeine friend, gave you lots of encouragement. That's what you thought! Now when you wish to give it up for valid treasons, relating to deterioration of your health, Caffeine is showing its ill temper by giving you constant headache.

{mosgoogle left} For this headache, there is no instant solution. Don't implement your resolution in one go, by breaking your coffee cup, as a sort of violent protest. Do it slowly and steadily. The chances are that you will win over the headache.

Foods such as old cheese and yeast extracts and red wine have a substance called Tyramine, which causes headache. Deficiency in the enzyme oxidase, which is known as Histamine intolerance can cause chronic headache.

Many types of allergies are responsible for various types of headaches. Food items in their pure form may not be the cause of headache. But many food items contain additives and artificial flavors. These items are the direct causes of headache.

If you consume any food item, fruits and vegetables in the most natural form, as far as possible, you have possibly solved the problem of headache once for all.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Common Headache Medications Are Normally Based On Either Asprin Or Paracetamol

Ann Marier

Common headaches such as migraines and fever headache, just like other sicknesses, also have their own cure and prescribed medications. Most of the times, headache medications are restricted from public access openly, which means that only upon the doctor or medical expert's prescription it is allowed to be given to someone. However, there's one headache medication which is normally publicly available, and that would be none other than Paracetamol.

The Most Commonly Found Tablets

In certain European and Asian countries, this medication comes in a famous form called the "Panadol," which is found in tablets of either 500mg or a maximum of 1000mg each. Paracetamol as we know comes normally in the form of tablet all around the world. It is hard to take it in liquid form, due to the bitter taste after leaving the tongue.

Besides that, aspirin is the next most famous medication for common headaches, which also comes in the form of tablet. Unlike Paracetamol tablets which come in white, aspirin usually has color; the most famous one being yellow. And aspirin is not just limited to headaches, but can be used for many others types of pains as well. Although Paracetamol also can do the job well, aspirin is better because it works more efficiently in making sure the blood flow is smoothened and the clogs are removed.

How are the Headache Medications Categorized and Taken?

There are three different ways of how headache medications are categorized. This will help you to find the best medicine for you. The first type is those used for symptomatic relief. This type of medications is used to treat headache pains and the accompanying symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and so on.

The second type is those used for abortive therapy. This would include the common headache medications we saw above; the Paracetamol and aspirin. They are, as we know, used to stop the headache; usually temporarily.

The third type of medication is those used for preventive therapy. As the name suggests, the medicines here are used to prevent the headache, normally taken when you have fever, to avoid the headache from coming, or similar situations like that.

Keep in mind, these headache medications are always best taken with the prescribed recommendations. This means that it is not enough for you to know the right headache medications, but also what is the right food which goes along. You basically need to follow the correct dietary lifestyle, and go for exercises and relaxation therapies.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Headache Pain Relief Alternatives To Medication

Ann Marier

When a person has a headache they will reach for their over-the-counter pain reliever to soothe their aching head. Which method of headache pain relief they choose depends on the individual, drug stores and pharmaceutical departments carry a large variety of pain relievers, all advertising to relieve pain in a unique way.

According to one report there is virtually no difference in the headache pain relieving qualities of any one over-the-counter medication save to the individual. Some people have sensitivities to one product or another, but the dosage and active ingredient of each pain reliever is virtually the same.

The report also indicated that the many different tablet forms or claims that the formula is specified for such needs as back pain are also advertising only, the products will still contain the same amount of active ingredient and the only real choice is the person's preference of ingestion.

There are also topical headache pain relief medications which are said to immediately relive headaches. This product contains potassium dichromate and white bryony as pain relievers. Nearly every person who has reviewed this product has claimed it works efficiently to relieve headache pain.

Alternate Headache Pain Relief Methods

Some people do not react well to medications, even the safer over-the-counter medications, and choose to seek alternate headache pain relief. Some methods include acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic sessions, and yoga.

Acupuncture has been a popular homeopathic method of headache pain relief in countries such as China for thousands of years. Today acupuncture is available in alternate medical clinics all over the country.

Massage therapy for headache pain relief is a smart option for most headaches suffers, especially if the pain is from tension headaches. In most cases relieving the pain in the neck and shoulders associated with a tension headache is enough to alleviate the head pain all together.

Chiropractic sessions can relax the body and realign the neck and spine, this realignment can cause the tension of certain muscles to decrease again resulting in headache pain relief. Migraine headaches can be caused by all sorts of external factors, one of which is body pain. Sometimes relieving the pain can get rid of the headache.

Yoga is a meditative form of exercise which stretches and relaxes the body. This type of activity will relieve aching muscles and tension in the body therefore causing head pain relief of most types of headaches.

Talking with a medical professional is the best way to determine the exact cause of head pain and make a decisive head pain relief strategy. This strategy will eliminate the headaches or make treatment plan the patient and doctor agree is the most efficient.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Management Of Chronic Headache

Alexander Krakovsky

Headache is a very common experienced phenomenon. Many headaches are secondary to underlying medical conditions and therefore, the management chronic headache presents significant difficulties to the physician because of the lack of effective therapies.

Chronic headache affects about 4-5% of adult in the United States. Chronic tension-type headaches (occipital-type headache) and chronic migraine are the most common types of chronic headache. Diagnosis of chronic headache is difficult due to the absence of physical measurements to establish the diagnosis. The overuse of medications to relieve acute headache can cause rebound headache.

Very important to have precise information about the location of the pain, the quality and intensity of the pain; pain triggers, and associated symptoms before implementing the treatment plan.

Chronic migraine has following characteristics:

• Lasting from 4 to 72 hours
• Unilateral location
• Pulsating quality
• Moderate to severe intensity
• Aggravation by walking stairs or routine physical activities
• Association with nausea and vomiting
• Photophobia

Migraine headache is commonly triggered by diet, menstrual cycle, and exposure to sunlight or prudent odor. Chronic migraine is defined as the occurrence of migraine attacks 15 or more times per month for more than 6 months.

Chronic tension-type headache has following characteristics:

• Pain with pressing quality
• Bilateral, occipital or any other location
• Mild to moderate intensity
• Is not aggravated by walking stairs or routine physical activities
• Associated with nausea but not vomiting

Tension-type headache is often associated with muscle tenderness in the neck, shoulder, upper arms, the jaw and face and the base of the skull. Chronic tension-type headache must occur more than 15 times per month for more than 6 months.

Treatment:

Chronic headache is very difficult to treat. In addition, many of the currently available treatment options lack efficacy. For the treatment of moderate to severe migraine pain, triptans are the treatment of choice. Opioids can also be useful as abortive medications when other therapies fail. In today days Botox injection is available as a treatment for chronic migraine as well. Tension-type (occipital) and cluster headache are usually treated with NSAIDS and muscle relaxant as an initial treatment options. Triptans reserved for the cases when initial treatment does not relive the pain. Botox injection plays a big role in current medical management for the treatment of tension-type headache. For the treatment of occipital headache the first line of treatment is pharmaceutical, and the second line of treatment is steroids and/or Botox injection to relive the muscle spasm damaging occipital nerves. The third line of treatment which is the most effective treatment of occipital headache in today days is peripheral nerve stimulation. Electrical stimulation of the occipital nerves permanently eliminates occipital-type of headache pain.


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Effective Headache Remedies And Treatments You Can Use

Everybody has definitely experienced a headache once in his or her lifetime. Since it is one of the indispensable and common illnesses everyone experiences, people have learned to find ways to relieve the discomfort brought by headache.

TREATING HEADACHES

Contrary to popular belief, headaches cannot be cured but they can be managed or controlled. Today, more and more medications have emerged that aim to stop the throbbing pain associated with it or stop the symptoms that have resulted from it.

Taking in medications is the most popular way of combating the pains brought about by headaches. People from the medical field have categorized these into two: the Prophylactic treatment that is done every day to reduce the severity and frequency of attacks and Abortive treatment that is done once the headache attack begins.

A physician usually suggests prophylactic treatment only if the person is experiencing numerous headache attacks monthly. Once you have undergone this treatment, the doctor will strictly monitor the possible side effects like lethargy, drastic weight gain, hallucinations, memory impairment, and water retention.

While taking in this medication, make sure that you don't combine it with any weight loss products. For starters, make sure that you are taking in low doses first before taking in large dose under prescription to test if it's working correctly. Your physician should also constantly monitor any drug or vitamin intake and see if these interfere with the medication.

Pregnant women are not allowed to take this kind of medication and make sure that the medication is discontinued once the headache becomes manageable.

Prophylactic treatment involves the use of Beta Blockers like tenormin, lopressor, and inderal, Calcium Channel Blockers like cardizem, dilacor, and procardia, Antidepressants like elavil and Zoloft, Serotonin Antagonists like Sansert, Anticonvulsants like tegretol, depakote, and dilantin, and Ergot derivatives like cafergot.

Abortive treatment, on the other hand, is considered the first line of defense against headaches by taking in over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin, acetaminophen like tylenol, panadol or ibuprofen. Usually, physicians prescribe a medication that is a combination of analgesic with other substances in order to increase its effects.

In order to relieve anxiety, abortive treatments also involve the usage of anti-inflammatory drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs that include naprosyn, anaprox, ponstel, meclomen, tolectin, and toradol which are helpful in treating headaches.

Although NSAIDs are used both symptomatically and prophylactically, experts warn future users that these may lead to side effects like gastrointestinal pains and disorder like diarrhea or constipation along with nausea or dizziness.

REMEDYING HEADACHES

Headaches are usually caused by physical and emotional stress. If you are dying to find a solution to your persistent headache, try taking in over the counter remedies like aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen. But if you are not a big fan of prescribed or over the counter medications, try these home remedies for a change.

- Try using compresses or cold packs. For tension headaches the most common form of headache try applying a warm or cold compress to your forehead and the base of your neck to numb the pain.

- Try using heat. If cold compresses wouldn't work out for you, try using a warm washcloth or a hot water bottle can ease pain.

- Develop a routine of deep breathing exercises. If you suffer from headaches very often, try sitting in a darkened room, take in deep breaths using your nose, and let it pass through your mouth.

- Experience the wonders of acupressure. By squeezing the web of skin between and the thumb through acupressure, it can reduce the pains and can help you relax.

- Try relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, and biofeedback. By trying these relaxation techniques, the person who suffers from headache can feel the pain flowing out of the head. It can also help reduce stress.

- Relieve the affected area by applying ointment with heat. Ben-Gay or Icy Hot rubbed on forehead or on the base of the neck, can give a soothing warm feeling to your head.

- The power of music. Try listening to a relaxing music while lying down or resting.

- Exercise regularly. Physical activities like regular exercise can relieve stress because it can loosen up the knots and balls of pain in your head.

- Get enough sleep. Having six to eight hours of sleep can help you soothe your tired nerves. But, beware of sleeping more than 10 hours because it can cause major headache as well.

- If possible, use a neck pillow in bed. If you are prone to experiencing morning headaches, try using a neck pillow to your neck while you sleep.

- Totally eliminate caffeine, salt, MSG, and chocolate in your diet. Load up on lots of fruits, veggies, and water to keep your body well hydrated.

- If you can, avoid bright light because it leads to a major headache once your squint.

- Don't skip meals. Skipping meals can lead to low blood sugar. When your sugar level goes down, your blood vessels in the brain tightens that leads to headache.

- Don't eat foods that have nitrates, sulfites, and msg because these are primary headache causers. Also avoid aged cheeses and nuts so you won't experience headaches.

- Don't smoke and avoid smoke-filled rooms.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Some Headache Remedies Are Better Than Others

Ann Marier

There are so many different headache remedies out there that we have to choose from, and although this is certainly a good thing, at the same time it can make it extremely difficult and even frustrating to be able to decide on which ones are the best and which ones are not worth thinking about.

There are several different things that you have to take into consideration when you are trying to figure out what the best headache remedies are, and one of the most major things that you need to realize is the fact that not all remedies work the same on all people, and so you have to really understand this.

The Different Headache Remedies

Basically, when it comes to headache remedies, you can either go naturally or more traditional - meaning pills and other forms of medication. You are really going to have to decide which before you can go any further in the process of finding yourself headache remedies, although you should know that you have plenty of options with both sides.

If you want to go natural, then you are going to want to make home remedies using only natural ingredients, and this is largely referring to herbs and spices. There are many different home remedies that you can use for headaches, and one that is probably one of the easiest, is that of green tea.

All you really need to do is boil yourself a cup of green tea, and drink it black, if you can, and the heat of the tea itself as well as the antioxidants that are present in green tea all work together to relive the pain that is caused by headaches.

If you are more interested in going with over-the-counter prescriptions and this sort of thing, then again you do have many options. You will most likely be prescribed a lower dosage of medication, and then if that does not seem to be working your doctor will most likely then prescribe you something stronger.

Throughout this process, you may get frustrated, because headaches can be extremely painful, and many people find that they just cannot find anything that helps ease the pain enough. However, you should try to stay calm and not get frustrated, and make sure that you remember that there are plenty of different options out there that you have to choose from, and that you are definitely going to find something that helps you.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Different Headache Treatment Options Include Green Tea

Ann Marier

If you suffer from headaches, then you are definitely going to want to learn about all of the different headache treatment options that you have to choose from. There are many, however certain headache treatment options are going to work better for you than others, and so thus you obviously are going to want to figure this out.

The Different Headache Treatment Options

There are so many different headache treatment options that you have, and one of the best actually uses something that you most likely already have in your home - green tea.

Green tea has always been known for its incredibly healthy side effects, however not many people are aware of how great it is for headache treatment. Green tea has many antioxidants in it, which help to distress you and as well as relieve any pain and swelling from your head.

The best way to take the green tea if you are looking to get rid of headaches is to boil it and drink it hot, as the steam of the hot drink is also going to help relax and unwind you.

Another great form of treatment that is available for headaches is a cool cloth, and this is perhaps the oldest used form of treatment for this sort of problem. All you need to do here is take a facecloth and run cool water over it, and then place it on your forehead. Just make sure that you cool the cloth down again every time it starts to become warm.

Certain options are going to work better on other people and not you, and so in order to make the process easier on you overall, you are going to want to go into your doctor's so that you can speak to them about what they think the best ideas would be for you.

There are also plenty of medications that you can take to help with headaches, however if you are one of the many people who are more interested in curing your headaches naturally, then you should stick with methods such as the green tea and cold facecloth methods.

Just remember that even if you suffer from really bad headaches, there are many different forms of treatment that you can use, and so you really should not feel stressed out or as though there is nothing that you can do in order to feel better from your headaches, because that is certainly not true.

Possible Causes Of Headaches After Eating

Ann Marier

Eating is something which many people enjoy immensely. This is obvious with the increase of overweight people in the world. Eating is a very social time as well. Family gatherings, church events, and business meetings often occur around some type of meal or snack.

These times should not be a time of physical suffering but often result in pain. Many people complain of suffering headaches after eating. This can be a very serious health issue and needs to be addressed to determine the cause of the headache after eating.

Headaches after eating may be caused by some simple food allergies or may be caused by something as severe as diabetes. If a person frequently finds that they get a headache after eating they need to consult a doctor to determine the cause and find possible cures.

Headaches Caused by Food

People often eat crazy diets in the current times. With rushed schedules full of work, family, church, sports and other hobbies people find that quick meals work best. The problem with these quick meals is that the foods eaten are often prepared, processed foods with several chemical additives.

These chemical additives are not necessarily bad as they do act as preservatives keeping the food fresh and bacteria free. Some people, though, find that they suffer headaches after eating these foods. There are even some natural foods that the general public eats which may cause headaches after eating for some individuals.

People find that they have intolerances to foods such as wheat, other grains, fruits, dairy products and a variety of other foods. If a person suffers headaches caused by foods it is important to go through a process of elimination. Food allergists can assist a person in eliminating probable food causes one by one from the diet until the guilty foods are found.

Headaches After Eating Related to Diabetes

Diabetes is a very serious disease which can be treated and controlled. It is important for a person who gets headaches after eating to rule out the diagnosis of diabetes. The headaches after eating in the case of diabetes are a symptom of high blood sugar. High blood sugar can cause many problems for an individual, the most severe being death.

High blood sugars left untreated can cause blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, high cholesterol, and many other problems. Early intervention in treating diabetes can prevent these problems. Getting headaches after eating can be an early sign that diabetes may be a problem.

If a person gets headaches after eating they should consult a physician to rule out diabetes as a possible cause. If diabetes is the cause of the headaches, dietary changes and medications can cure the problem very quickly.

Monday, October 22, 2007

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream With An Ice Cream Headache

Ann Marier

For anyone who has experienced the dull ache in their head after slurping an ice cream cone on a warm summer's day, the terms brain freeze or cold headache are probably not unfamiliar. However, did you know that an ice cream headache had a technical name as well?

An ice cream headache can also be referred to as Spheno Palatine Gangleoneuralgia. This type of headache is unique in that it occurs only after eating or drinking a food or beverage. These foods and beverages are not limited to ice cream; in fact, they can include many other cold or frozen foods, such as margaritas or slurpees. When these items are consumer quickly, the chance of acquiring an ice cream headache increases.

The Science Behind an Ice Cream Headache

When a cold food or beverage touches the roof of your mouth. This causes a group of nerves located on the roof of your mouth, known as pterygopalatine ganglion, to begin to spasm. These nerves send instructions to the blood vessels in the brain to dilate. Because headaches are caused by dilated blood vessels in the brain, this causes you to experience an ice cream headache.

The resulting ice cream headache typically ends within ten to twenty seconds; however, some ice cream headaches last fifteen to sixty seconds, and in rare cases an ice cream headache could last up to five minutes! The pain caused by this headache has been classified as "referred pain." Referred pain occurs when the site of the pain is different from the region where the pain was simulated.

Relieve the Pain

There are several methods that can be used to reduce the pain that comes from an ice cream headache. Some people say that the pain can be stopped by moving the tongue to the roof of your mouth in order to bring warmth to the area. Others say that, when sipped slowly, water at room temperature will do the trick. Laying your head to one side, and breathing rapidly while covering your mouth are also two suggested ways to overcome the pain caused by an ice cream headache.

How Common is an Ice Cream Headache?

It is thought that approximately thirty percent of the population experiences an ice cream headache. Many studies have determined that ice cream headaches are more common in people who experience migraines; for example, the data from one study states that ice cream headaches occur in ninety-one percent of those who experience migraine headaches, while they only occur in thirty-one percent of those who do not.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

The Truth About A Neck Spasm Headache

Ann Marier

There are many different kinds of headaches, varying in severity. However, the most common type of headache is a tension headache, also known as a muscle contraction headache. These types of headaches are caused by spasms and tensions of muscles in the neck and shoulders, making "neck spasm headache" an accurate description of a tension headache.

While tension headaches are extremely common (sixty percent of people in a study claimed to experience one or more tension headaches in a week), they are difficult to diagnose and treat. It is important to understand the various ways that a neck spasm headache can be treated so that, if you suffer from these painful headaches, you can decide on the method of treatment that best fits your individual lifestyle and condition.

What Causes a Neck Spasm Headache?

A neck spasm headache or tension headache is caused by muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders that irritate nerves in the head. The irritated nerves generally produce pain at the scalp and base of the skull. You might be wondering what causes muscle spasms. Well, there is a wide range of causes for muscle spasms and they vary greatly in severity. One cause of muscle spasms leading to a neck spasm headache is a rear end motor vehicle accident.

This is one of the more serious causes of a muscle spasm. Such an accident places a large amount of force on the neck, and the muscles located in the neck tighten in response to the pressure. The neck muscles can remain in spasm long after other injuries have healed, and this is why a neck spasm headache resulting from a car accident many become chronic.

Less serious causes of the muscle spasms in the neck that could lead to a neck spasm headache include situations where the neck or spine may be held in one position for too long, such as when you sleep in a chair, work at a computer, or drive for a long period of time.

Treatment of a Neck Spasm Headache

There are several different methods used to treat a neck spasm headache. One of the more common ways is manipulative therapy, which usually reduces the muscle spasms and will return normal motion to the spine. Manipulative therapy is often performed by quickly stretching the muscles. However, other methods of manipulative therapy, such as "counter-strain" also exist. Manipulative therapy is a great treatment option for those patients who do not want to take medication.


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Saturday, October 20, 2007

Different Types Of Headaches And Their Causes

Before taking in any medication or undergoing any treatment to bring relief to your aching head, make sure that you know first what are the different types of headache and possible causes of the common illness.

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.

About Headaches

What are tension headaches?
Tension headaches are headaches caused in people due to tension in mind. Most people describe it as a constant achy feeling on either side of head. Some people also feel tightness in their head and neck muscles. It often starts in middle of day and begins gradually and slowly. Some people also call it as stress headaches that means when people say that they have stress headaches they mean by saying this that they have tension headache. It may be severe or mild, but when it is severe it sometimes may be more painful and dangerous and do more harm than migraine headaches.

How to diagnose?
Tension headaches can be analyzed and diagnosed by the inspection of your doctor. Your doctor can tell the nature of your headaches by an examining you and studying the description of pain given by you. And to diagnose this problem technique like Blood Tests, X-Ray or brain scans are usually not required.

What treatment to take in which situations?
When your tension headaches are occasionally then simple pain reliever which can be taken without prescription can be useful. But while choosing these pain relievers you should first of all check the label for possible side effects which may be caused due to interactions with other medicines you are taking. So to avoid any such possibilities you must read the instructions on the label and follow them carefully. If you are still facing any problems regarding how to take the dosage you must consult your reliable doctor or pharmacist.

But if your tension headaches are not occasionally and occur everyday or at regular short intervals of time then these pain relievers will not give you the right treatment and so in this type of situation you should consult your doctor this is because the medicine which he will prescribe you will be more beneficial for relieving the pain at the time of these tension headaches. These medicines referred by your doctor not only help in relieving the pain but sometimes also useful in preventing these headaches to take serious forms. It is always advisable to treat the tension headaches when they are mild before they take some serious forms this is because in earlier stages these headaches can be cured more easily.

What other techniques could be useful to relive pain from tension headaches besides using medicines?
Besides taking medicines you can also use several other techniques to get relieve from pain in tension headaches. These techniques include:
Take enough sleep or rest
Put an ice pack on your neck or head at the time of these headaches
Regular exercises of 30-60 minutes 6 times a week will be useful in relieving the pain
Take everyday walk after meal or move on a long vacation to relieve yourself from your busy life.

Causes Of Sudden Severe Headaches And Vomiting

Ann Marier

Headaches aren't a pleasant thing to have, not even minor ones, and when a heavy one hits, it can be debilitating. Migraine sufferers are familiar with the nasty effects that severe headaches can have, but for those who are not used to such headaches, it can be so overwhelming that it might be hard to know what to do.

When further hit by a combination of a sudden, severe headache and vomiting, it may be difficult to think about a course of action to take. However, the symptoms of a sudden severe headache and vomiting are often the sign of a serious medical concern, and actions should be taken immediately.

Possible Problems

Occasionally, the onset of sudden, severe headaches and vomiting do announce a migraine headache, and in that case, you should have something prescribed for the pain if it turns out to be a recurring problem. However, that doesn't make dealing with the sudden severe headache and vomiting seem any easier.

However, if it's the first occurrence of a sudden, severe headache and vomiting, you won't have a diagnosis from your doctor, nor will you have any painkillers prescribed, so for safety's sake, it's best to get to a hospital. The onset of a sudden severe headache and vomiting may be a sign of a form of head trauma known as subarachnoid bleeding.

This is bleeding between the brain and the skull. This particular injury happens most often after accidents in which the head was hit, and is severe enough that without proper medical care, a person could go into a coma or even die.

If a sudden, severe headache and vomiting comes with a fever as well, there's a chance that you may be suffering from meningitis, which is an affliction that affects the nervous system. This disease can cause enough damage to kill, and even if it doesn't, common problems resulting from meningitis include hearing loss.

If You're Suffering

Once again, if you're suffering from sudden, severe headache and vomiting, you need to make your way to an emergency medical facility. Given the extreme nature of the symptoms, for safety's sake, you should call for an ambulance or have a family member or neighbor drive you to the emergency room, since driving will be too difficult.

If you have to wait for help, it's best to elevate your head at an angle of about 30 degrees whenever you're not forced to deal with the nausea. Above all, as long as you seek help as soon as possible, you stand a good chance of receiving diagnosis and proper treatment for your sudden, severe headache and vomiting.

Cluster Headache Treatment Important Things you should know

madcore

Before using any of the cluster headache treatment available to you there's a couple of thing you should be aware of. But first I think it would be a good idea to better inform you about what cluster headaches really are before going into the different cluster headache treatment. Don't you think?

What are Cluster Headaches?

Cluster headaches also known as "Suicide headache" are considered some of the most extreme and painful headaches you can get. They usually occur in group or clusters in your head. The sufferers from these types of headaches experience symptoms like: Very severe headaches near one eye or around the temple area. The duration of those headaches can vary between fifteen minutes to three hours.

What are The Cluster Headaches Treatment Options?

Unfortunately there is not many options when it comes to cluster headache treatment. One of the best to date is know as "abortive treatment" and is quite simple. During the onset of a cluster headache the most common type of abortive treatment is the inhalation of pure oxygen.

This technique as been known to abort cluster headache attacks in as little as 5 minutes; however the downside is that you need to have oxygen ready at any time just in case you would have another attack.

Of course like any other condition there is always the use of over-the-counter medicine for this particular type of headaches. Unfortunately this kind of cluster headache treatment is not considered as being very effective. A lot of people complain that they tried all the different prescriptions and that none of them was able to remove the pain of the cluster headache.

Of all the headache types out there, cluster headaches are probably the worst kind. If you are suffering from this type of headache, I can imagine how hopeless you might feel. Unfortunately there is very small quantity of helpful treatments available to you.

Rest assured, there is hope for you. I know this is not an easy situation but you should avoid getting frustrated and remain calm about it. Of course it will take time and effort but you will eventually be able to find some form of treatment that will help you feel with the pain.

The best option for you would be to talk to your doctor. The diagnosis you will get will help you find the best treatment possible according to your condition.