Headaches

Headaches are most effectively dealt with by treating the cause rather than the symptoms. Persistent headaches should always warrant a visit to your Doctor.

Most Common Headaches

Tension Headaches

This type of headache is mostly associated with extreme tenseness of the muscles of the head, neck and shoulder; usually this may occur because of emotional stress and often begins in the back of the head and upper neck. Tension headache is felt like a 'band-like', tightness or pressure with pain encircling the head with the most intense pain being felt in and around the eyebrows, forehead and the back of the neck muscles.

Migraine Headaches

Migraine headache is a chronic condition of recurrent attacks. The pain associated with migraines is usually described as intense pounding, throbbing and most of the time the pain is being felt on one side of the temples. Nausea, vomiting, facial color changes, cold hands and feet, sensitivity to light and sound are the most common changes with migraine suffers. A typical migraine attack can at times take from 1-3 days to recover.

Cluster Headaches

This type of headache is called cluster headaches because they come in groups. This type of headache can have long periods of discomfort as well as long periods of pain free. With this type of headache, the pain can occur daily with the resultant pain lasting for up to 1½ hours. Most of the time cluster headaches can come at about the same time of the day or night. Pain is normally described as severe and felt in and around the eyes.

Vascular Headache

This type of headache may be the result of changes of pressure within the sensitive blood vessels inside the skull, i.e. eyestrain, sinusitis, influenza, feverish illness, high blood pressure, fatigue, and at times too much smoking or drinking, hormonal changes and excessive noise.

As a check and not as a recommendation these sorts of headaches, as well as those resulting from arthritic changes in the neck will be relieved by medication. However, alternative medicine such as massage, naturopathy, osteopathic, chiropractic, traditional Chinese medicine and physiotherapy may be beneficial, offering some relief and should be further investigated.

Note: If unsure, you should always consult with your doctor.

What could aggravate a headache?

Look for clues within yourself and your lifestyle:

Does your headache start, or get worse after drinking alcohol, eating a particular food, a Chinese meal, a strained or tense posture or activity, an injury, or having a temperature?
If so, you may require a change of diet and/or a change of lifestyle and you should consult with your Doctor or specialized alternative medicine practitioner.

Does stress aggravate your headache?
If so, tense muscles may be causing it.

Does bending down aggravate your headache?
If so, sinus could be a probable cause.

Does sneezing aggravate your headache?
If so, consult your doctor to check possible causes.

Points to note about headaches:

If your headache is there on or soon after waking, and gets worse as the day goes on, it is probably being caused by something 'mechanical'. If it is remitting on a daily basis, this could be caused by stress and anxiety. If headaches begin in the evening, they almost certainly come from muscular tension.

If a headache comes on very suddenly, like a blow to the head, consult your doctor as you may require immediate treatment and bed rest.

If your headache is very short lived, it is probably not serious but if it happens several times a week, again, consult your doctor for specialised treatment.

If the pain is focused largely on your forehead or the base of the skull then the neck muscles or ligament stress is the likely cause. If it is specific one sided, it is likely to be a true migraine.