Sal-T

Posts Tagged ‘Cluster Headaches’

Pain behind the eyes may be a symptom of different types of headaches and even other health problems. Most commonly people complain to have an extreme one-sided headache especially involving the area around or behind one eye. This is a typical description of cluster headache. Other symptoms associated with cluster headache are eye redness or tearing, smaller pupil on the affected side of the face and stuffy, runny nose.

Cluster headaches are very severe and last from 25 minutes to a couple of hours. They may recur several times a day for up to 8 weeks and than disappear for a few months or even years.

One of the most effective and safest treatments for cluster headaches is oxygen mask that raises levels of oxygen in the blood and as a result relaxes constricted blood vessels. If that does not help injections of sumatriphan and dihydroergotamine may provide relief from the headache behind the eyes.

Over-the-counter painkillers are not a good alternative for relieving pain as headaches often goes away before the pill starts working.

Both cluster headaches and migraines are considered vascular headaches and are linked to abnormal function of brain’s blood vessels due to hormonal chemical change in the brain. Since those two types of headaches are closely linked together, during migraines, headache may start in the area surrounding one or both eyes.

Migraine headache often begins with visual disturbance called “aura” (a person is seeing zigzag lines or flashing lights or have blurred vision). Later migraine is often accompanied with such symptoms as vomiting, fatigue, nausea, sensitivity to lights and loud sounds.

People suffering from cluster or migraine headaches should avoid use of alcohol and tobacco, certain foods, especially the ones containing nitrates (food coloring, processed meats, preservatives), bright and glaring light, stress and certain medications that lead to hormonal changes (oral contraceptives, estrogens).

Sometimes infection of the frontal sinuses can lead to a dull, throbbing pain between or behind the eyes. It tends to get worse in the mornings and is accompanied with frequent tearing, congestion, runny nose, fever and sensitivity to light. Diving in dirty water, airborne allergies, cold or flu may cause sinus headache.

To eliminate pain behind the eyes, you should reduce inflammation and sinus swelling. Inhaling steam and applying heat over affected area combined with Vitamin C and zinc intake will facilitate the mucus drainage and help to boost immune mechanism to reduce sinus headache.

Other factors that can be the main reason for the headaches behind the eyes are eyestrain and glaucoma. Eyestrain occurs if the eyes are forced to focus on a close object (a newspaper, computer screen) for a long period of time, without focusing periodically at distant objects or due to uncorrected vision problems.

Glaucoma is caused by increased pressure within the eyeball that requires immediate medical attention as it may lead to optic nerve damage and loss of sight. Nowadays glaucoma may be treated by prescription drugs or surgery.

What is headache on one side of head and what are the causes? According to scientists, the real reason of this type of headaches is still not found yet. But it is commonly agreed that these headaches or cluster headaches has no relationship with the family history.

So, is there an effective ways of relieving or treating headache on one side of head? Sadly to say that there is none as at to date because as mentioned in the above, the cause of it has not been detected. However, there are certain ways that you can consider adopting so that to prevent it from happening regularly or to inhibit the pain when it happens.

Usually it is not encouraged to take medication to relieve your headache pain because of the severe side effect. If you insists on taking drugs to relieve your headache on one side of head, the medicine that normally taken by sufferers include Antihistamines, Indomethacin and Lithium carbonate.

Pain killer is usually not considered by sufferers because it will take longer time to relieve the pain. In the end of the day, if your headache pain persists, it is advisable to seek for doctor’s help.

Those who suffer cluster headaches are usually advised to change their lifestyle such as quit smoking if they are smokers or to stop drinking alcohol. These are some of the simplest ways to help relieving your headache pain and are probably easier to implement compared to other most sophisticated recommendations.

Besides, it is also useful to keep a headache log in order to record your daily consumption of food and drinks so that you will know what trigger your headache. This could sometimes helpful in preventing your cluster headache or headache on one side of head.

Headaches have occurred to almost everyone at some point. These headaches can range from mild irritations to a debilitating pain crisis that demands immediate treatment. Headaches are researched across the medical community, but causes remain a mystery. The medical community has broken headaches into a few easily classified categories. Primary headaches are by far the most common variety, while cluster and secondary headaches are far rarer. Most headaches have no life threatening significance, although secondary headaches can signal another problem at work in the brain.

Most headaches fall into the category of primary headaches, and are usually easily treated by over the counter solutions. Ibuprofen and Aleve are usually effective treatments for problems involving primary headaches. More serious headaches, like cluster headaches, demand specialized treatment. Other effective treatments for headaches are therapeutic measures such as biofeedback, massage, and psychotherapy. These are good ways to prevent headaches prior to their onset. The majority of headaches can be traced to a stress related cause.

Several hours of physical exertion can definitely trigger a stress related headache. The muscles in the skull can contract under pressure, causing discomfort. Treatment is fairly simple, but prevention is a more effective means of reducing headache pain. Preventing headache pain usually means finding the cause of the onset in the first place. If emotionally stressful are bringing on the pain, some sort of stress management should be undertaken. Hours of physical labour should be broken up by regular breaks to prevent the outbreak of stress related headaches.

Frequent headaches that last for weeks or months may be a sign of a more serious condition. Headache treatment in these situations may revolve around diagnosing a more serious issue. Headaches that occur constantly and at random may signal a more serious issue at work. This kind of headache, known as a secondary headache, can signify internal bleeding, tumour growth, or chemical imbalances. It is important to see a specialist whenever problems of this kind present in the patient. Prompt care can prevent the root cause of secondary headaches from turning into a larger issue.

Headache

Reports suggest that at least 40% people in the UK suffer headache at some point to the extent that can affect the quality of their life. It is generally defined as a pain in and around the head. Some types of headaches are discussed below briefly.

What are tension headaches?

The most common type of headache suffered by the majority of people worldwide is due to tension-type. Tension headache are also known as stress headache or muscular headaches. If it occurs more frequently, then you should seek treatment. However, occasional headaches are common to occur at least once or twice in a month. During the times of excess stress, headaches can be even more frequent. The symptoms of tension headaches are pain or pressure on both sides of the head, pain at your temples, and pain at the back of your head or neck.

What are Cluster headaches?

The cluster headaches are frequent and short-lived. They can last even less than an hour. The most common symptoms of Cluster headache include excruciating knife-like pain that is centred on one eye, and can spread to other areas on the same side of the head. You may feel excess sweating, redness, or watering of the eye. Your nose becomes runny or bunged-up and sometimes an eyelid droops. Most of the sufferers may feel agitated and unable to sit.

What is a Sinus headache?

If you have a deep and constant pain in your forehead, cheekbones, or the bridge of your nose, then these are considered as symptoms of Sinus headache. Some other symptoms of Sinus headaches are runny nose, fever, and facial swelling.

Treatment of headaches

Irrespective of its type, headaches can greatly affect your sleep and life. It can lead to fatigue, tiredness, and even stress. An immediate treatment should be sought for headaches if they occur frequently and cause a major health problem. You can try a host of therapies for headache treatment such as:

o Aromatherapy – In this therapy, oil taken out of flowers, fruits, leaves, shrubs, and tress is used for therapeutic benefits.
o Chiropractic – It means gentle manipulation of muscles and joints to reduce pain and promote good health.
o Physiotherapy – It is the most commonly used therapy for treating a host of physical injuries, diseases, and dysfunction.

For immediate relief from headaches, most people simply take painkillers that sometimes prove effective for most types of headaches. However, it can be risky if you take medications too often. You should try to reduce taking painkillers as much as possible. Instead look for other treatments that are less risky.

With the help of medical technology, some revolutionary devices have been designed that help in the treatment of headaches. One of these popular devices is Cefaly, which uses electrotherapy for pain relief. This device is easy to use and incredibly comfortable. There are no side effects of using this medical device, as it has been well tested in its many trials. Cefaly can be available from any local store or online.

Headache is defined as pain in the head that is located above the eyes or the ears, behind the head (occipital), or in the back of the upper neck. Headache is common problem in men and women.The main challenge to affording relief from various forms of “cephalgia,” or “head pain,” is categorizing a headache by type, and then proceeding with the therapy most likely to help. There are two types of headaches: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Primary headaches are not associated with (caused by) other diseases.

The most common type of headache is a tension headache.Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache. As many as 90% of adults have tension headaches. Tension headaches are more common among women than men. Migraine headaches are the second most common type of primary headache. An estimated 28 million people in the US have migraine headaches. Migraine headaches affect children as well as adults. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraine headaches, but after puberty more women than men have them. Migraine often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as tension or sinus headaches. Several areas of the head can hurt, including a network of nerves which extends over the scalp and certain nerves in the face, mouth, and throat. The meninges and the blood vessels do have pain perception. Headaches often result from traction to or irritation of the meninges and blood vessels. The muscles of the head may similarly be sensitive to pain.

Headache associated with specific symptoms may warrant urgent medical attention. Headaches are a common cause of suffering, but all headaches are not created equal. Migraine headaches are severe, recurrent headaches generally accompanied by other symptoms like visual disturbances or nausea. Cluster headaches occur daily over a period of weeks, sometimes months.Cluster headaches are the least common type of primary headaches, affecting about 0.4% of adult males in the United States and 0.08% of adult females.

Cyclic vomiting also occurs in young kids and involves repeated episodes of vomiting. Some patients describe the pain as feeling like a hot poker in the eye. Tension headaches typically result from tightening of the muscles of the face, neck, and scalp as a result of emotional stress. Tension headaches are caused by stress, muscular tension, vascular dilation, postural changes, protracted coughing or sneezing, and fever. Sinus headaches cause pain in the front of your head and face.Sinus headaches are associated with a swelling of the membranes lining the sinuses (spaces adjacent to the nasal passages). They are due to inflammation in the sinus passages that lie behind the cheeks, nose, and eyes. The pain tends to be worse when you bend forward and when you first wake up in the morning. Postnasal drip, sore throat, and nasal discharge usually occur with these headaches. Headaches associated with fever, convulsions, or accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness; headaches following a blow to the head, or associated with pain in the eye or ear; persistent headache in a person with no previous history of headaches; and recurring headache in children.

Treatment of the headache depends on the type and severity of the headache and on other factors such as the age of the patient. Tension-type headaches can usually be soothed by using relaxation techniques, or using over-the-counter painkillers taken at the time of the headache. Codeine can be used with caution because of the increased chance of causing medicine overuse headache and addiction.Taking ibuprofen (an anti-inflammatory painkiller) is an alternative.

Anti-inflammatories may be more effective than paracetamol for some people.Taking a painkiller such as paracetamol usually works well to relieve a tension-type headache. It is best to take a full dose as soon as a headache starts, a second dose can be taken after 4 hours if necessary. Headaches that are caused by brain tumors, post-injury hematomas, dental problems, or disorders affecting the spinal disks usually require surgical treatment. Surgery may also be used to treat cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension that do not respond to treatment with steroids. Psychotherapy may be helpful to patients with chronic headaches by interrupting the “feedback loop” between emotional upset and the physical symptoms of headaches. Some psychotherapists teach relaxation techniques, biofeedback, or other approaches to stress management as well as cognitive restructuring.