Treatments for the common headache are all over the news, the press, and even the radio. The many different medicines which are commonly used for treating pain (in general) and the headache are manufactured by companies with an interest in the market. It's a billion dollar-a-year market, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. Headache is one of the most common reasons for a person to seek medical attention, and literature supporting treatments for headaches can probably fill anyone's living room, and then some. What we don't hear in the laymans press is what causes headaches. Now, you are going to hear the rest of the story.
Headaches are extremely common. There are numerous causes of a headache, ranging from mere stress (as in a job), frustration, high blood pressure, sinus infections, vascular changes in the brain (as in the migraine headache), and brain tumors. Let's look at some of the more common reasons for the development of a headache.
Stress is an important factor in anyone's life. Life tends to feed us all a bunch of problems, and no one individual is immune, while some people seem to be better prepared to handle it than others. A tension headache is generally caused by pain produced when the muscles attached to the back of the head (trapezius) become "stressful" due to overuse. For example, a typist who is constantly using her arms, propped up on the keyboard of a typewriter of a computer, with her head held up to see the screen, will usually complain of some sort of discomfort in the rear of the head, the shoulders, and upper arms. Given time, the muscles used to hold the head up and use the arms will become painful. Usually, a complaint of a "band-like" pain across the top of the head extending to the front, just above the eyes, will follow. A headache is mentioned. This is a typical "tension" headache. It can be caused by any number of reasons, including driving for a long period of time, extended use of the arms, etc. Treatment of this headache is quite simple - rest, apply some moist heat to the affected areas, and use one of the many different pain medications we see in the pharmacy. If you have a good partner, massaging the muscles helps ease the tension.
A sinus headache is different. Usually following a cold (or other type of "insult" or upper respiratory infection), the sinuses (frontal, above the eyes and maxillary, below the eyes) become filled with fluid - due to inflammation. Bacteria love this protein rich stuff - and they tend to grow, and multiply. Pressure causes the pain in the affected areas, sometimes seeming to "radiate" to the top or rear of the head. If the cold didn't get you down, the sinus infection will; and this usually requires the use of antibiotics (there is no way around this - see your doctor). If not treated, and you seem to "get better" - you might want to consider treating it anyway, especially if it occurred previously. Seasonal sinusitis is very common, it comes and goes with respect to different forms of "allergens" in the air (ragweed, pollen, etc.) and there happen to be some very effective ways of treating the problem.
Then there is the "silent killer" - high blood pressure. If you have a history of high blood pressure and you think that you are suffering a headache because of the blood pressure (usually out of control or very high), see your doctor. Blood pressure is called the silent killer appropriately - sometimes there are no symptoms. Don't rely on over-the-counter medications; get medical attention.
Migraine headaches are severe. They occur because of a vascular problem in the brain. For reasons we don't actually understand, the arteries in the brain seem to constrict; then they suddenly "dilate" or open up. The sudden "rush of blood" to the brain causes the headache, which usually is accompanied by nausea, vomiting and "photophobia" (your eyes hurt in the presence of light). The "patient" is found in a dark room with a cool clothe over the eyes. And, nothing seems to help. Treatment for the classic migraine headache is available and is complicated by the fact that different "trials" of medications are warranted. There is hope, though, with the recent approval of "Imitrex" in the pill form, by the FDA. See your doctor.
A brain tumor can sometimes present as nothing more than a headache. If you suffer from a headache which wakes you up in the middle of the night - think about other causes of the headache other than sinus, blood pressure, or a migraine (although the cause might just be something simple, such as tension or any other reason). The important issue here is that an alarm should sound when a headache is that severe. Although not nearly as common as some of the other ailments responsible for a headache, one must consider all possibilities, especially if treatment has failed. Again, it is important to see your doctor.
Complaints of headache are common, and the pain from headache brings more people to the attention of a physician than any other ailment, besides possibly back pain. Pain is pain. Period. If you have tried different forms of medication, available over-the-counter, and your headache is still bugging you, there might be something else going on. A visit to your doctor could prove to be effective.
For more information on causes and treatment for the headache, see the following URLs:
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