You are a chronic headache sufferer and want to eliminate your painful recurring symptoms. So what can you do to solve your problem? The first step in fighting headaches is determining which type of headache you suffer from, because your headache treatment will vary based on this determination. There are primary headaches where the headaches themselves are the sole problems and there are secondary headaches where the pain is a symptom of some other health condition or disease. It’s important to figure out which type you have and this is best determined by your signs and symptoms.
Since tension headaches are the most common type, chances are good that this is what you have been suffering from. A tension-type headache often feels like you have a very tight band wrapped around your head, causing pressure or a dull achy feeling. Tension-type headaches are not only caused by stress, but if you have tension due to a high-stress job, marriage problems, a recent job loss, pregnancy, money problems, or some other problem in your life, your pain may be tension related. However, these are not the only causes of tension-type headaches. Eye strain or neck strain from sitting at a computer all day can result in this type of pain too.
Most people treat their tension headaches with over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol (acetaminophen), ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin), or aspirin, but there are natural treatments that can actually be more effective over the long term. If you’re an easily stressed person, you may want to consider relaxation or stress management techniques. These can go a long way to solving the problem instead of treating the symptoms. It may also be beneficial to lie on a cervical (neck) pillow that had been designed to restore the proper and normal curvature to your neck, thereby relaxing muscles that are contributing to the pain. The Soothe-A-Ciser Headache Relief Pillow is the best pillow I know of for this purpose. It has been a staple in chiropractic offices for almost 20 years.
Migraine headaches are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and auras. Auras are most commonly visual disturbances that manifest themselves as flashes of light or zigzagging patterns of light. They usually occur on just one side of the head and are a throbbing pain. Exercise or strenuous activity such as walking upstairs or running may exacerbate the pulsing and pounding in your head.
Prescription medications are often sought after by migraine sufferers, but again, there are some natural headache treatment methods that may work just as well. Due to the sensitivity of light and sound, it is usually beneficial to lie down in a quiet dark room. Cold compresses placed at the base of the skull can often reduce the pressure in the head by lessening the amount of blood flow. Massage is another way to relieve the tight muscles. Either do it yourself or have someone else rub your temples in a circular fashion to relieve the pain. Another great approach is chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors have a very high success rate in relieving migraine headaches.
Cluster headaches can be very intense and recur off and on for weeks or months at a time. They will most commonly last anywhere from 15 minutes up to a few hours and the pain typically comes on strong without any warning signs, reaching a peak within just a few minutes. These are unilateral, so if your headache is bilateral, it’s probably not a cluster. They are rare, with estimates of occurrence somewhere between 0.1% and 1% in adults. Over-the-counter pain relievers usually aren’t effective due to the fact that these headaches can come on suddenly and then vanish just as quickly. Preventive medications are probably the most common treatment approach here.
It may surprise you to learn that many headaches are actually caused by the very pain medications that are supposed to eliminate them. That’s right. The pain killers you’re taking may actually be promoting your chronic headaches. Headaches of this sort are often referred to as rebound headaches.
According to Paul Duckro, associate professor of psychiatry at St. Louis University, “the best thing a person with chronic headaches can do is get off the painkillers.” His studies showed that two-thirds of the chronic headache sufferers not only didn’t get rid of their headaches with the medications they were taking, but that their headaches increased in severity as a result of the analgesics themselves. These can be pain killers such as ibuprofen, the pain-relieving ingredient in Advil and Motrin IB, aspirin, and acetaminophen, the analgesic in Tylenol. This does not mean you should quit taking medication that has been prescribed by your doctor. It’s always a good idea to see a qualified physician before making decisions that can be detrimental to your health.
Sometimes headaches are merely symptoms of serious underlying health conditions and should be evaluated by a qualified doctor immediately. If you have a sudden onset of a severe headache you should seek emergency help immediately. If you experience a headache after a fall or injury it can also signify a serious problem. If you are taking over-the-counter pain killers, but the pain continues to worsen, you should seek an emergency evaluation. Other reasons to seek out emergency help are when the headache is accompanied by fever, stiff neck, difficulty speaking, double vision, mental confusion, seizures, or any other abnormal occurrence.
Most headaches are painful, but are not indications of serious health problems. However, if the pain is disrupting your personal life in any way, you should consider developing a plan to combat the problem. Headaches can often be prevented once you have determined its type and have developed a sensible headache treatment plan.
