Though nervous system is rarely involved in a case of headache, but it is wise to exclude any association with nervous system in long standing and, or undiagnosed headache. If timely diagnosed, headache due to neurological reasons like brain tumor, meningitis, or, hemorrhage can be reverted.
In the following type of headaches seek medical advice promptly when headache is:
*Persistent
*Occurs after head injury, even though minor
*Associated with loss of consciousness or change in consciousness,
*Associated with convulsions, disturbed brain function of memory, orientation, speech, etc.
*Associated with paralysis of any kind,
*Associated with seeing double images; failing vision,
*Associated with fever,
*Associated with vomiting.
Other Common (Non Serious) Causes of Headache:
Tension headache
This is the commonest cause of headache. Factors responsible are stress and strain of modern life, hurrying, racing against time, worries and anxieties, insomnia.
Remedy of Tension Headache:
Tranquilizers help to relieve temporarily but changing the lifestyle should be given utmost importance. Yoga and meditation help immensely to tide over tensions.
Hunger and irregular food intake:
Another important cause of headache is long gap between meals. This tends to lower the blood sugar level and may result in headache.
Remedy
Take food at regular intervals.
Sinusitis
Spaces within the bones around the nasal cavity are called paranasal sinuses; they communicate with the nasal cavity. Inflammation of frontal sinus, located in the forehead is common after common cold. Communication with the nasal cavity is blocked due to inflammation and the air within the sinus is absorbed. A large difference of air pressure inside and outside the sinus results and causes severe headache and vomiting.
Remedy
Steam inhalations help. Sit with your head about two feet above a steaming electric kettle for 10-20 minutes. Blow through the nose as necessary. You will feel relieved as the passages open up.
Eye Strain
If you need glasses but do not wear them, headache may appear after a few hours of work. If you are not wearing proper glasses, especially when you are working on your computer, you can get a headache. It must be understood that the distance of the computer screen from your eyes is more than the reading distance for a book. If you have been prescribed reading glasses, you need a differently-powered glass for computer work.
As distinct from eye strain, beware of acute pain around one eye which could be due to acute glaucoma. This needs urgent diagnosis by an eye specialist. If the tension within the eye is found to be high, urgent operation may be necessary.
Migraine
Typically migraine presents as severe periodical throbbing headache, usually one-sided. Onset is sudden, with throbbing pain which reaches its peak in an hour or so, when nausea and vomiting also start. The attack may last for a few hours or a day or two. In some patients, the attack of headache is preceded by twinkling before the eyes, difficulty of speech, or numbness of lips, face and limbs and even temporary paralysis, but all these symptoms disappear in a few minutes. These symptoms, though recurrent and disturbing to the patient, do not cause permanent disability.
Other important features of migraine are: Frequency of attack is usually once in a few weeks, not daily. The attack may be provoked by alcoholic drinks (red wine in particular), sudden changes in temperatures, exposure to bright sunlight, stress at work, errors of refraction, certain food etc.
Treatment of Migraine
At the first indication of attack, a tablet of Paracetamol or Ergotamine, repeated after half an hour, if necessary. Ergotamine preparations should be taken only under medical supervision, not more than six tablets in a single attack and not to be taken during pregnancy. Sumatriptan Succinate, another preparation works very well, if taken prior to an established attack. Botox injection helps in intractable cases.
Avoid precipitating factors as far as practicable. Get your refraction corrected, reschedule your work to avoid tensions, and avoid any food that is found to consistently precipitate the attack.
Cluster Headaches
This causes a constant non-throbbing headaches on one side of the head.Though not connected with any disease of the eye, the pain is usually located in the region of the orbit of one eye, Cluster headache usually starts within two to three hours of falling asleep and infrequent during waking hours.
The pain is intense, steady and constant with flushing of face, blocked nose and tears from the eye. Pain may last an hour or so and then may leave as suddenly as it came. Pain tends to recur every night for several weeks or even months, hence the name 'cluster'. In between the clusters, there is complete freedom from headache, sometimes for years. Cluster may recur in times of stress, overwork or emotional upheavals. Alcoholic beverages and certain kinds of food may precipitate the headache during the cluster but not during the period of freedom from attacks. This causes no permanent disability.
Treatment of cluster headache
A tablet of Paracetamol for the headache, repeated if necessary. Ergotamine preparations, though reported to be effective, are best avoided because their number can reach dangerously high in a cluster. The anti-depressant drug amitryptaline (Tryptomer), given in a small dose at night, is safe and effective in interrupting a cluster.
High Blood Pressure
Contrary to usual belief, hypertension rarely causes headache. Nervous tension may cause both headache as well as elevation of blood pressure. Do not therefore depend on your feeling of headache to judge the level of your blood pressure but rely on actual readings taken with a mercury BP instrument.
Sudden severe rise of blood pressure, however, can cause severe headache and even cerebral haemorrhage. Then it needs to be urgently but carefully brought down to safer levels with the help of your doctor.
This article is republished at India Study channel
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