A headache, one of the body's most powerful alarm signals, is often a sign of physical or psychological overload. There are several types of headaches, and they differ according to how and when pain occurs. These include tension, cluster, simple, sinus, and combination headaches and migraines. Migraines and cluster headaches are an especially intense form that is often accompanied by nausea and impaired vision.

The pain can be triggered by many things. A common cause of headache is tense muscles in the head or neck. Headaches may also be a symptom of stress, caffeine withdrawal, allergies or sinus blockage, certain infectious diseases, or the result of ingesting too much alcohol. Constricted or expanded blood vessels, as well as altered pressure in the head (which may occur when the weather changes), can also produce headaches.

Natural methods to alleviate pain can include relaxation exercises, massage, and homeopathic remedies. They can often be as effective as standard medications in preventing or relieving the pain caused by the different forms of headaches.

Although painful and troublesome, most headaches are minor health concerns and can be easily treated with aspirin or another analgesic. However, if they are severe, recur frequently, or are attended by other symptoms, you may need to take additional steps, including consultation with your doctor.

Types of Headaches and Causes

A simple or minor headache is one that is short-lived and characterized by hammering, buzzing, or pulsing in the head. It is usually caused by minor stress, sensitivity to weather or changes in atmospheric pressure, high blood pressure, fever, or lack of oxygen.

Tension headache, also called a muscle-contraction headache, afflict almost everyone at one time or another and is characterized by a dull, persistent, non-throbbing pain that can make your head feel like it is gripped in a tight band. The muscles of your neck may seem knotted, and certain areas on your head and neck may be sensitive to touch. Taut muscles that irritate nerve endings in the head and neck are the chief source of pain. Tension headaches can be short-lived and infrequent, or they can be enduring and chronic. Once blamed solely on stress and muscle tension, tension headache may in fact be a mild form of migraine, caused when nerve impulses travel the wrong way along nerves in the head, inflaming blood vessels around the brain and in the scalp.

With tension headaches, stress is the most common trigger; it may stem from anxiety about work or family life, or it may derive from some physical or environmental factor such as excessive or persistent noise. Eyestrain, poor posture, too much caffeine, or the grinding or clenching of teeth at night can also lead to tension headaches.

Migraines are the most debilitating of headaches; they can be completely incapacitating. With some sufferers - a minority - a migraine attack is preceded by a warning sign, called an aura; it may include visual disturbances such as flickering points of light, blind spots, or zigzag lines, or more rarely, numbness in a limb or the smelling of strange odors. Whether a warning sign occurs or not, a migraine will usually begin with an intense, throbbing pain on one side of the head. This pain may spread and is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. A migraine can last from a few hours to three days and can cause oversensitivity to light, odors, and sound.

The cause of Migraines is somewhat mysterious. Some researchers believe that the headaches are primarily neurological in origin. All the various symptoms of migraines seem linked to changes in the diameter of blood vessels in the head. The blood vessels constrict during the initial stage and dilate when the headache pain begins. These changes may be due to an imbalance in a brain chemical known as serotonin. Hormones can also play a role. There is a strong correlation between changes in estrogen levels and migraines. Estrogen dominance and lack of Progesterone can sometimes be the culprit.

Because migraines often run in families, it seems likely that genetics can play a role. In any event, a wide range of factors can trigger an attack; among them are excessive caffeine, various foods or scents, naps, dry winds, changes in altitude or seasons, hormonal fluctuations or birth-control pills, missing a meal, or stuffy rooms. Migraines may also occur in the aftermath of intense emotions such as excitement, grief or anger. Exercise, sexual activity, or very cold foods can also jump start a migraine.

Cluster headaches tend to come in bunches. Typically they begin several hours after a person falls asleep and are sometimes preceded by a mild aching sensation on one side of the head. The pain is very severe and piercing. It is usually located in and around one eye and may be accompanied by nasal congestion and a flushed face. It lasts from thirty minutes to two hours, then diminishes or disappears altogether, only to recur perhaps a day later. A barrage of four or more attacks may occur in the course of the day, and cluster headaches can strike every day for weeks or months before going into long periods of remission.

The cause of Cluster headaches is the most baffling of all. They are more common in heavy smokers than in nonsmokers, and alcohol consumption and certain foods seem to be involved in some cases, but the root cause is unknown.

Sinus headaches are characterized by pain in the forehead, nasal area, eyes, and sometimes the top of the head; in some cases, they also produce a feeling of pressure behind the face. Inflammation or infection of the membranes that line the sinus cavities can give rise to such headaches. Also, the headache pain may stem from suction on the sinus walls, which occurs when nasal congestion creates a partial vacuum in the sinuses.

Sinus headaches typically result from hay fever and other seasonal allergies, or from a cold or the flu.

=================================
Call a doctor if:

• A severe headache is accompanied by vomiting, limb weakness, double vision, slurred speech, or difficulty in swallowing; you may have a cerebral hemorrhage or an aneurysm - get immediate medical attention.
• Your headache is of a kind that you have never had, occurs first thing in the morning, is persistent, brings on vomiting, and abates during the day; you may have hypertension or in very rare cases a brain tumor. See your doctor without delay.
• Your headache is accompanied by a high fever and light hurts your eyes, the pain is severe and is accompanied by nausea and a stiff neck; you may have meningitis - get medical help now.
• After a head injury, you are drowsy, with dizziness, vertigo, nausea, or vomiting; you may have a concussion. See your doctor without delay.

To rule out possible organic causes of headaches - for example, an aneurysm, tumor, or structural abnormality - a physician may employ vision tests, x-rays, a CT scan, a lumbar puncture, or an EEG. A wide variety of treatments exist, after the cause of the headaches is determined. Both conventional and alternative medicine can be effective in dealing with headaches, and the two approaches may be combined. It is common for practitioners to recommend relaxation as beneficial for tension and migraine headaches.

Conventional Medicine
Most tension headaches are normally helped by analgesics such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen; antidepressants can help in chronic cases. Sinus headaches may be relieved by antibiotics and decongestants. However, experts say that excessive use may result in "analgesic rebound". This can happen when abrupt withdrawal of analgesics is followed by a recurring headache.

A wide range of medications are prescribed for migraines. If you have three or more severe, prolonged migraines per month, your doctor may suggest using prophylactic, or preventive medications on a continual basis. These include propranolol, a beta-adrenergic blocker that works by reducing constriction in blood vessels; a calcium channel blocker such as verapamil; or antidepressants.

If you migraines are milder and occur less often than three times per month, your doctor may suggest drugs such as an isometheptene-containing combination or ergotamine. The drug sumatriptan, available in tablet or injectable form, is designed to treat migraines and brings dramatic relief. A therapeutic nasal spray based on the serotonin-inhibiting drug dihydroergotamine (DHE 45) acts quickly to constrict blood vessels and reduce inflammation. Even aspirin, if taken in effervescent form at the first sign of an attack, can be effective. Drink it ten minutes after taking metoclopramide, which reduces nausea and improves absorption, to shorten an attack.

Simple analgesics do little for cluster headaches, because they do not act quickly enough. However, doctors have found that inhaling pure oxygen can be highly effective in providing relief. A short course of corticosteroids, methysergide maleate, and lithium carbonate is used to alleviate cluster headaches. Some of the calcium channel blockers and vasoconstrictors are used for migraines.

Alternative Choices
The vast majority of alternative therapies attempt to address the underlying causes of headaches. Because tension and stress so often figure in headaches, relaxation techniques are a standard practice of therapeutic programs. Alternative treatments for headaches include acupressure, aromatherapy, chiropractic, herbal therapies, homeopathy, lifestyle changes, nutrition, diet, massage, and osteopathy. Some of these methods are discussed below.

Aromatherapy: The essential oil of the herb lavender may aid in relaxation, thus easing the pain of tension or migraine headaches. For a sinus headache, try using the essential oil of eucalyptus or wintergreen. For any type of headache, inhale a blend of lavender, rosemary, and peppermint oils. Compresses applied to the affected area, or a bath using these oils, can relax muscles, ease pain.

Chiropractic: Some tension headaches are caused by posture that puts unnecessary strain on the muscles. A chiropractor may be able to remove the strain through spinal or cervical manipulation and realignment. In some studies, spinal adjustment has been show to produce fewer side effects and have longer-lasting results than conventional drug use.

Herbalism: Perhaps the most widely used herbal remedies for treating and preventing migraines is feverfew, which is thought to work by blocking excessive secretion of serotonin, a neurotransmitter.

When blood vessels constrict in the initial stage of a migraine, serotonin is released; feverfew may help counteract this by dilating those blood vessels. Chewing a leaf or two daily is one approach to prevention, but this can occasionally cause mouth ulcers; as a substitute for the leaves, you can use 125mg capsules which are readily available in most herb supply stores.

Migraines brought on by stress may benefit from a combination of equal parts of hawthorn, linden, wood betony, skullcap, and cramp bark, taken three times a day as a tea or tincture. For migraines accompanied by nausea and vomiting, dried ginger might prove beneficial. Three daily doses of goldenseal in tincture, tea, or powdered form may help reduce sinus headache pain.

Tension headaches may respond to three daily infusions of valerian in combination with skullcap and passionflower.

Cluster headaches may get quick relief from several daily applications inside the nostrils of an over-the-counter ointment made from cayenne. Cayenne, when applied to the skin, may also be helpful against migraines.

Lifestyle: Regular exercise can release endorphins, the body's natural painkilling agents. Exercise may also help to dilate blood vessels, which increases blood flow and may counteract the constricting action that occurs at the onset of most migraines. Deep breathing exercises and meditation may also be helpful for fighting tension headaches.

Nutrition and Diet: Among the foods sometimes associated with migraine headaches are chocolate, aged cheeses, citrus fruits, processed meats containing sodium nitrates or the food additive MSG, and red wine. Keeping a food diary can help you identify foods to eliminate. Magnesium relaxes constricted blood vessels; low levels of magnesium may contribute to migraine and cluster headaches. Taking niacin and niacinamide at the first hint of pain may help keep blood vessels dilated, possibly reducing the initial constriction phase of migraines and avoiding an attack.

The substance called methyl-sulfonyl-methane, or simply MSM, has proven to be an effective pain fighter against some chronic headaches. According to Dr. Stanley Jacob, a leading DMSO and MSM researcher, "MSM's usefulness is primarily for chronic headaches related to tension and muscle spasms. MSM may not be as effective against migraines." However, Dr. Jacob goes on to say that it may be helpful to reduce pain associated with tension and muscle spasms which may result from migraines.

<"http://www.theolivebranch.com/amazon/msm-a.htm">BOOK on MSM

Although conventional pain-killers can be effective against headaches when used on a temporary basis. Those containing caffeine or codeine should not be taken over long periods of time. Studies show that the constant use of painkillers may have a rebound effect - actually causing headaches - or can block other medications, such as prophylactic drugs, that you may be taking on a regular basis to prevent migraine headaches. Dependence on painkillers may also hamper the effectiveness of endorphins. Some sources believe that dependence on painkillers may permanently alter the pain-control pathways in the brain and spinal cord.

There can be problems associated with long term use of many over the counter pain relievers. Ask your pharmacist about any side effects.

Web Resources:

• American Council for Headache Education http://www.achenet.org/
• National Headache Foundation http://www.headaches.org/
• Headache and Its Treatment http://www.uspharmacist.com/NewLook/DisplayArticle.cfm?item_num=81
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/headache.htm

---

We have a Monthly E-mail Newsletter that addresses General Health Issues and occasional Special Editions. Send a request for your Free Subscription to News Request

Be Healthy!

The Culbreths

Home Page	Questions?

---

Please note: the information contained herein has been compiled from various sources and for information purposes. The above statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We make no claims, either expressed or implied, that any products mentioned in this newsletter will cure disease, replace prescription medication, or supersede sound medical advice.