CAUSES
Headaches can be caused by many factors. A cold or the flu may cause sinus headaches and they can also occur as a result of hay fever or other seasonal allergies. Stress is the main reason for tension headaches; it might originate from worry about work, family members, or it might come from a physical issue like constant noise. Some other factors that can cause tension headaches to develop are strain of the eyes, slouching posture, overuse of caffeine, or bruxism (tooth grinding and jaw clenching in one’s sleep).
Migraine is more of an enigma. Some researches believe that the headaches are neurological in origin, although lots of evidence indicates that constricting and swelling of the blood vessels is involved. Genetics could likely play a role as migraines often run in families. Nevertheless, attacks can be triggered by a number of factors including too much caffeine, various foods or odors, naps, dry winds, changes in altitude or seasons, fluctuations in hormones or birth-control pills, skipping a meal, or stuffy rooms. Migraines can happen after experiencing a strong emotion like fear or anger. Migraines can be triggered by exercise, sexual activity, or extremely cold foods.
The most unexplainable of all are the cluster headaches. The main cause is not known, however, consumption of alcohol and certain types of foods seem to be involved in a few cases, and they are more common in heavy smokers than in persons who do not smoke.
DIAGNOSTIC AND TEST PROCEDURES
A physician may order a lumbar puncture, a CT scan, vision tests, an EEC or x-rays to rule out other possible causes of headaches like an aneurysm, tumor, or structural abnormality.
TREATMENT
The two approaches might be combined effectively with the usage of both complementary and conventional medicine in the treatment of headaches. For instance, virtually all health care providers agree that relaxation can help tension or migraine headaches.
CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE
There are a large amount of prescription drugs available for migraines. Your physician might suggest using preventive, or prophylactic drugs continuously if you experience three or more prolonged severe migraines a month. Some prescription medications that work particularly well are propranolol, a beta-blocker that constricts blood vessels, verapamil, a calcium channel blocker, or a number of antidepressants. If your migraines are not very severe and occur fewer than three times each month, your physician may prescribe drugs like an isometheptene-containing combination or ergotamine (which can be obtained in suppository form if you cannot keep a pill down due to vomiting caused by your migraine). Available in injectable or tablet form, the medication sumatriptan is made to treat migraines and bring relief that is dramatic. For fast constriction of the blood vessels, as well as reduced inflammation, a nasal spray containing the serotonin-inhibiting substance di-hydroergotamine can be beneficial. You may be surprised to learn that even aspirin, as an effervescent, can be a relief if taken soon after developing symptoms. In order to reduce the duration of the attack as well as alleviate symptoms of nausea, drink it 10 minutes after taking the metoclopramide. Basic drugs can’t help cluster headaches, since they can’t treat them fast enough. But, physicians have seen that breathing pure oxygen can help treat symptoms. Cluster headaches can be alleviated by taking a short course of lithium, methysergide maleate, carbonate and corticosteroids; also vasoconstrictors and calcium channel blockers.
COMPLEMENTARY REMEDIES
Most of the complementary remedies try to deal with the underlying reasons for headaches. The techniques of relaxation are a staple of programs that are therapeutic, as stress and tension many times cause headaches.