Headache (cephalalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. Headaches are benign and self-limiting. Common causes are tension, migraine, eye strain, dehydration and sinusitis. Much rarer are headaches due to life-threatening conditions such as meningitis, encephalitis, cerebral aneurysms, and brain tumors. Headache, like chest pain or dizziness, has many causes. There are five types of headache: vascular, myogenic (muscle tension), cervicogenic, traction, and inflammatory. Vascular headache is migraine. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head, an upset stomach, and, for some people, disturbed vision. It is more common in women. While vascular changes are evident during a migraine, the cause of the headache is neurologic, not vascular. After migraine, the most common type of vascular headache is the "toxic" headache produced by fever.
Cluster headaches, which cause repeated episodes of intense pain, and headaches resulting from high blood pressure (rare). Muscular/myogenic headaches appear to involve the tightening or tensing of facial and neck muscles; they may radiate to the forehead. Tension headache is the most common form of myogenic headache. Cervicogenic headaches originate from disorders of the neck, including the anatomical structures innervated by the cervical roots C1–C3. Cervical headache is often precipitated by neck movement and/or sustained awkward head positioning. Tension headaches tend to be on both sides of your head. They often start at the back of your head and spread forward. The pain may feel dull or squeezing, like a tight band or vice. Your shoulders, neck, or jaw may feel tight and sore.
It is often accompanied by restricted cervical range of motion, ipsilateral neck, shoulder, or arm pain of a rather vague non-radicular nature or, occasionally, arm pain of a radicular nature. Traction and inflammatory headaches are symptoms of other disorders, ranging from stroke to sinus infection. Mostly causing secondary headaches including is Tumors in the brain, including tumors that have spread (metastasized) to the brain from another organ such as the lung or breast.Subdural hematomas, which are collections of blood underneath the dura (the covering of the brain) due to bleeding from ruptured veins. Subdural hematomas typically occur in elderly individuals after a fall or other trauma to the head. Sometimes the fall can precede the visit to the doctor by weeks, and the elderly patients may not even recall the fall.
Symptoms of subdural hematomas include chronic headaches, change in personality, and weakness of the extremities. Epidural hematomas, which are rapid collections of blood due to the rupture of arteries that run on the inner surface of the skull. Epidural hematomas usually are the result of skull fractures. The typical story is a head injury that causes a concussion with loss of consciousness and a skull fracture. The return of consciousness is followed by the sudden development of coma caused by an expanding hematoma.Infections such as meningitis caused by bacteria (meningococcus and pneumococcus). Hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Medications such as indomethacin, estrogen, progestins, calcium channel blockers (commonly used for treating high blood pressure), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (commonly used to treat depression)
Home Remedies and Treatment Tips of Headache
1.Just control your diet, drink lots of water and you would be alright after sometime.
2.Grandma's treasury is full of traditional medicines for your headache.
3.Take a small, clean towel and dip it in white vinegar. Wrap the towel around your head, close your eyes and relax. You should be a changed man after about half an hour.
4.Make a paste by pounding the dry ginger. Apply the paste on your forehead. Slight burning sensation notwithstanding, it is likely to send your headache packing.
5.Mix a quarter teaspoon of clove powder in one teaspoon of cinnamon oil. Apply mixture to the location of pain.
6.Take a few drops of ghee (clarified butter) on your palm. Mix 3 or 4 pieces of saffron in it, and rub it for two minutes. The saffron does not dissolve in the ghee, but its qualities are absorbed. Remove saffron and put two drops of this ghee in each nostril. · Dosage: Follow procedure twice a day.
7.Mix 1 tablespoon of milk and half teaspoon of ginger powder and put one or Dosage; two drops in each nostril twice a day.
8.Wrap a wet cloth around the neck.
9.Oil massage on the scalp also relieves tension and headache. Sesame oil, almond oil, mustard oil or ghee (clarified butter) can be used for massage.
10.Heat 1 teaspoon of almond oil. When it cools down, put two drops in each nostril.
11.Some sweets and milk products can be taken moderately with small quantities of nuts.
12.Hot cow milk is very good to drink.
13.Avoid fried foods, meat, sour and spicy foods and foods
14.Yogurt should be avoided, especially at night.
15.Ginger Paste: Persons suffering from temporal headaches may apply ginger paste to the forehead and Sinuses.
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