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Headache:- Definition, types, causes, diagnosis, general home care and home remedies of Headache

Headaches, along with backpain are prob­ably the most common to all complaints, but one of the most difficult to define. Pain of any kind, occurring in any part of the head, is termed headache. The great majority of headaches are harmless and are of very little significance. The ache experienced can vary in intensity from no more than a mild discomfort to very severe, stab­bing pain. It is ordinarily symptomatic, that is, an indication of some constitutional disturbance, or of some general disease; hence we hear of ca­tarrhal, gastric, menstrual, nervous, rheumatic, sick, and sympathetic headaches. The pain may originate outside the skull, as a result of contraction and tension of the muscles in the neck and scalp. This is thought [0 be the case with common tension and fatigue headaches. Or it may originate within the skull due to some inflammation, distortion, or some other disturbance of the blood vessels and pain­ sensitive membranes surrounding the brain. Tension headaches, usually a result of everyday tensions and fatigue, are normally brief but they tend to recur unless the underlying cause is dealt with.

Types of Headache

Three main types of headache are :-

Tension Headache

Migraine Headache

Cluster Headache

Tension headaches typically feel like a tightening on both sides of the head. They can last for minutes or days, and can happen frequently. Tension headaches are often the result of stress or bad posture, which causes tightening of the muscles in the neck and the scalp. Tension headaches often worsen with noise and hot, stuffy environments. This type of headache occurs mostly in women over age 20.

Migraine headaches are intense and throbbing, often involve one side of the head, and can make you sensitive to light or noise. Migraines last from hours up to three days and are more common in women. Some sufferers have an "aura" (a group of visual symptoms) just before an attack. In the U.S. each year, about 25 million people experience a migraine. Migraine sufferers usually have their first attack before age 30, but they can also occur in children as young as age three. Migraines recur at intervals of varying length. Some people have attacks several times a month; others have less than one a year. Most people find that migraine attacks occur less frequently and become less severe as they get older. There are two types of migraine: migraine with an aura and migraine without aura. An aura is a group of symptoms that develop before the onset of the main headache.

Cluster headaches are non-throbbing and usually are felt on one side of the head behind an eye. Cluster headaches affect about 1 million people in the United States. More common in men, they can happen over several days and usually last 30 to 45 minutes. They generally occur between one and four times a day. Like migraines, cluster headaches are likely to be related to an increased blood flow as a result of the blood vessels in the brain widening.

Causes of Headache

The causes are so varied that it is often difficult to pin down exactly what physical or emotional prob­lem is at the root of the trouble. The most com mon factors that bring on head­aches are various types of tension, fatigue, anxiety or emotional upset. Less commonly, a headache may reflect some disorder or infection elsewhere in the body, or accompany a problem affecting the eyes, sinuses, teeth or neck. Other promi­nent causes of headache are indigestion; seden­tary habits; suppressed eruptions; menstrual de rangements; loss of sleep; breathing foul air; the use of intoxicating drinks, tea and coffee, irregular habits, etc. Occasionally, frequent mild head­aches may indicate chronic ill-health, such as anemia, high blood pressure or kidney disease. Headaches may also be due to a blow to the head or eye strains, very rarely a headache may be due to a brain tumor.

Diagnosis of Headache

Usually, doctors can determine the type or cause of headaches on the basis of the person's medical history, the characteristics of the headache, and results of a physical examination. Characteristics of the headache include its frequency, duration, location, severity, and associated symptoms.

The following characteristics may indicate that a serious disorder is the cause of headaches, and prompt medical attention is required.

• Frequent headaches in a person who rarely has headaches
• Mild headaches that become severe
• Headaches that awaken a person from sleep
• Any change in the pattern or nature of headaches
• Headaches associated with symptoms such as a fever and a stiff neck, changes in sensation or vision, weakness, loss of coordination, or fainting

Considerable medical evidence suggests that migraine, "tension-type" , and cluster headache are caused by an electrical and chemical instability of certain key brain centers that regulate blood vessels around the head and the neck, as well as the flow of pain messages into the brain. This instability, similar to that which causes seizure disorders, seems to be inherited and appears to involve chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitter serotonin, in particular, plays a key role. Like seizure disorders, these headaches can be treated by using drugs that stabilize brain chemistry.

General Home care during Headache

Massage relaxes the muscles that are in tension.

If the massage is done by somebody else, it will give you better results and you will relax more.

Tension Headaches, now the simplest way and usually the most effective is just to take an aspirin, however, there are natural treatments that

may help you. Placing a warm pad on the back of your head or you can try taking a warm shower or bath. Also if you can reduce your stress

you'll suffer less from the pain of a tension headache.

Try acupressure, try rubbing the space between your index finger and your thumb, this can work sometimes.

Run your hands under hot water, this can also be an effective way to stop a headache.

Avoid foods and drinks like alcohol, coffee if they cause headache.

Rooms should be well ventilated and chairs should be comfortable which give back support.

Home Remedies of Headache

Dip a handkerchief in white vinegar and wrap it around your head.

Dilute a paste of ginger powder (half teaspoon) with water & apply to the Forehead. A burning sensation may persist. But it's not harmful.

Apply a paste of freshly ground clay or freshly ground sandalwood to the forehead, let dry, rub off by hand and wash.