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Reduce Headache, Know How To Cure Headache

admin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:00:05 +0000

If you always suffer from headaches for being cooped up in the office all day, you are not alone. Such headache is often accompanied by fatigue and tired eyes which is due more to the office environment than anything else. It makes you lose concentration and interest and you ended up feeling irritable and unproductive. But wait, before you start reaching for that painkiller tablet, try these 4 tips first and see if it helps.

One can have a light or less severe migraine, but it is still a migraine. Migraines are characterized by a throbbing pain on one side of the head usually around the eye. This will usually be accompanied by a sensitivity to light and sometimes noises. In addition, they can last from a few hours to a few days and can cause nausea and vomiting.

Migraine headaches must be one of the most debilitating illnesses on earth. If you are a sufferer you will know what I mean. The frequency and severity can vary from person to person but many people still loose 2 or 3 days a month to migraine. Yes, that is lost money in your pay cheque or lost quality leisure time with family and friends.

There are very many headache food triggers known to researchers now. Consumption of caffeine can have an unpredictable effect on the frequency and severity of your headaches. The main problem is that it is difficult to predict which effect it will have. Coffee can either reduce your existing headache or start a new one. Many people do not even realize that since a previous cup of coffee started their headache in the first place that another cup will just make it worse.

One of the most usual natural headache relief methods is aromatherapy, which is used to promote relaxation and to relieve both stress and pain. Aromatherapy is a treatment mode which entails the use of aromatic compounds and essential oils in order to positively impact an individual’s mood and/or health.

The question for most is how to get rid of headaches without being dependent on medications and pills. Try some stress-relieving activities, such as lying quietly in a darkened room and breathing deeply. A short nap often does wonders to relieve headache pain as well. Rub your temples for a few minutes while laying on your back. Relieving stress is important when you want to know how to get rid of headaches, as many headaches are caused by stress.

Combination drugs such as this may be more effective than are pure analgesics for pain relief. Avoid situations that may cause a tension headache. Use good posture when reading, working, or involved in activities that may cause a headache. Exercise the neck and shoulders frequently. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Antidepressants such as paroxetine (Paxil), venlafaxine (Effexor) and fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem) produce fewer side effects than do the tricyclic antidepressants but generally are less reliable in preventing headache. Acute therapy aims to stop or reduce the pain of an existing headache attack.

By: Hutch Peter

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So many ways to treat so many types of headache

admin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:21:58 +0000

Treatments can vary widely, from medication to surgery or herbs
By CINDY GEORGE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Constant shooting, stinging, throbbing and other painful head-pounding could ruin — or rule — your life.

Up to 35 million Americans suffer migraine and other forms of headache, according to the American Academy of Neurology.

• FOUR TYPES OF HEADACHES: The main types of headaches are tension, migraine, cluster and hormone.
Tension headaches, the most common, cause a band-like sensation or other pressure around the head. Most migraine headaches occur on one side of the head. Described as the most intense, cluster headaches attack in groups. Hormone headaches are associated with women’s menstrual cycles.

• OTHER TYPES OF HEADACHES: You might also experience over-medication rebound headaches, sinus headaches and those caused by brain abnormalities, including tumors.
• TRIGGERS: Stress, certain foods and sleeping patterns can trigger headaches.
“Eating meals regularly, staying well-hydrated and trying to minimize stress in life, sleeping well and getting exercise really do make a difference,” said Dr. Pamela Blake, a Houston neurologist at Memorial Hermann Northwest.

Changing weather that causes barometric pressure to spike or dip could be the culprit.

“When the fronts are coming in, primarily in the spring and fall, that will trigger headaches in the front of the head or face,”said Dr. Howard S. Derman, a neurologist at The Methodist Hospital. “People sometimes think those are sinus headaches because of spring flowers, but they’re really not.”

The same concept applies to people plagued with head pain while flying, hiking or mountain-climbing.

• FOOD AND DRINKS TO AVOID HEADACHE: “Red wine is at the top of the list,” Derman said.
Tyramine, found in chocolate, aged cheeses, vinegar, sour cream, soy sauce and yogurt can trigger headaches. So can nitrites, the preservatives found in smoked fish and many processed meats, and MSG — a flavor enhancer found in a wide variety of processed foods. Also watch your caffeine; too little or too much can bring on a headache.

• SLEEP: Evaluating your shut-eye might help, especially for migraines.
“If we can get them to sleep, their headaches generally do better,” said Derman, also director of the Headache Clinic at the Methodist Neurological Institute.

• STAY HYDRATED AND FED: Dehydration and long periods without eating are often-overlooked headache triggers.
• EYE STRAIN: The strain from reading in dim light, extended reading or driving sessions as well as an outdated prescription for contacts or glasses can hurt your head.
• IT MAY NOT BE A HEADACHE: If the pain in back of your head has been constant for five years, “that’s not a migraine, that’s a nerve problem” said Blake, director of the Headache Center of Northwest.

So, what to do about it?

New headache and migraine treatments, including a two-in-one pill, surgery and an implant, could take the pain away.

Medication:

• WHAT’S NEW: This spring, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new migraine pill called Treximet, which combines the active ingredient in the migraine medicine Imitrex with a painkiller.
“The drugs work together to treat the headache and if there is a recurrence, there’s a little medicine on board that may kick in later,” Derman said.

• PREVENTIVES: Several anti-seizure drugs and anti-depressants are bringing headache and migraine patients’ relief, including Topamax and Cymbalta.

Procedures

• NERVE BLOCK: The occipital nerve block, called ONB, is a 10-minute outpatient steroid injection around pinched nerves that stretch from the upper neck to the back of the eyes.
“That will help relieve chronic daily headaches and migraines,” Derman said.

The medication doesn’t go into the bloodstream and there are no side effects from the steroids, he said.

After 140 procedures in the last 18 months, Derman reports a 65 percent success rate.

• NERVE DECOMPRESSSION SURGERY: Involves an incision at the back of the head to remove thick tissue that squeezes occipital nerves.
“The decompression is very effective in relieving headaches that have been going on for years,” Blake said. She evaluates patients and determines which nerves need the operation.

A surgeon performs the decompression. Ideal candidates have had daily, constant headaches for more than 6 months and do not respond well to medications. About half of patients with insurance are covered for the procedure.

• NERVE STIMULATION IMPLANT: A device connected to a battery pack, similar to a pacemaker, is placed under the skin to stimulate occipital nerves and drown out pain.
“The theory is that your brain can only listen to one type of stimulation at a time,” Blake said. “If we can drive out painful stimulus with painless stimulus, the brain will listen to that.”

This is an option for people who did not respond to decompression surgery or whose insurance will not cover the surgery.

Alternative methods

Magnesium, CoQ10, the medicinal herb Feverfew and other over-the counter supplements may help. Some people find relief with acupuncture and biofeedback. “I’m supportive of all treatment regimens, if they work for you,” Derman said.
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Hormone changes can generate migraines

admin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:53:13 +0000

By Paul G. Donohue M.D.
To Your Good Health
December 09, 2008 6:00 AM

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter, who is 41, has been getting really bad migraine headaches just before her periods. Is it due to menopause?

— V.M.

Her headaches are not due to menopause. They come from her menstrual cycle, and they’re called menstrual migraines. A migraine sufferer often can identify things that give rise to a headache — foods, alcohol, physical exertion, too little sleep, too much sleep, hunger, bright lights and loud noise. For quite a few women, menstrual periods trigger the headache. The sudden drop in the female hormone estrogen that takes place at the time of a menstrual period precipitates headaches in these women.

Your daughter can take medicine prior to her anticipated menstrual period to prevent the headache. Naprosyn or one of the many other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, taken two days before the period begins, often can avert menstrual migraines. They should be taken for as long as the headache has lasted in the past.

Another approach is birth-control pills. The ones that stop periods for six months to a year are particularly useful. Seasonale and Lybrel are two such preparations.

Most migraine sufferers are aware of the triptan drugs, medicines that have had a huge impact on migraine treatment. There are seven such drugs, and I won’t mention them all. Maxalt and Relpax are two of these drugs. The triptans should be used as the anti-inflammatory drugs are used — two days before onset of periods and continued for the length of the usual migraine.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a plantar wart. What do I do for it?

— C.R.

A plantar wart is wart on the bottom of the foot (the planta). It’s the work of a virus from the same virus family that causes all warts.

Try one of the proprietary remedies found in all drugstores: DuoFilm, Trandermal patch, Mediplast, Sal-Acid and Compound W. They contain salicylic acid, a fairly reliable wart remover.

Or you might want to try the duct-tape remedy. Cover the wart with duct tape and leave the tape on for six days. Remove it and soak the foot in warm water to soften the wart. Then file the wart gently with a pumice stone or emery board, both drugstore items. Repeat the sequence until the wart is gone.

Are you certain this is a wart? If you’re not, get a doctor’s opinion.

Readers may write to Dr. Donohue or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.
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