Friday 9 January 2015

HEADACHES


HEADACHES ARE ONE OF THE MOST COMMON HEALTH COMPLAINTS.  POSSIBLE CAUSES OF HEADACHES INCLUDE TENSION, INFECTION, ALLERGY, INJURY, HUNGER, CHANGES IN  THE FLOW OF BLOOD IN THE VESSELS OF  THE HEAD OR EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS.
MAJORITY OF HEADACHES ARE CAUSED BY TENSION AND CAN BE PREVENTED BY ;
·         REDUCE EMOTIONAL STRESS. TAKE TIME TO RELAX BEFORE AND AFTER YOU DO SOMETHIING THAT CAUSES A HEADACHE.
·         REDUCE PHYSICAL STRESS. CHANGE POSITIONS DURING DESK WORK AND STRETCH FOR THIRTY SECONDS EACH HOUR. MAKE  A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO RELAX YOUR JAW, NECK, SHOULDER AND UPPER BACK MUSCLES.
·         EVALUATE YOUR NECK AND SHOULDER POSTURE AT WORK AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS IF NEEDED.
·         DAILY EXERCISE HELPS RELIEVE TENSION.
·         TREAT YOURSELF TO A MASSAGE. SOME PEOPLE FIND REGULAR MASSAGES VERY HELPFUL IN RELIEVING TENSION.
·         LIMIT YOUR CAFFEINE INTAKE TO ONE OR TWO CUPS A DAY. PEOPLE WHO DRINK A LOT OF CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES OFTEN DEVELOP A HEADACHE SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THEY HAVE THEIR LAST BEVERAGE OR MAY WAKE UP WITH A HEADACHE.

MIGRAINE HEADACHES
MIGRAINE HEADACHES HAVE VERY SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS WHICH INCLUDES  THROBBING PAIN ON ONE OR BOTH SIDES OF THE HEAD AND SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT OR NOISE. MIGRAINES ARE ALSO CALLED ‘ SICK’ HEADACHES BECAUSE THEY MAY ALSO CAUSE NAUSEA OR VOMITING. THEY ARE ALSO CALLED VASCULAR HEADACHES BECAUSE THEY ARE BELIEVED TO BE CAUSED BY CHANGES IN THE FLOW OF BLOOD IN THE VESSELS OF THE HEAD.
ALTHOUGH A MIGRAINE HEADACHE COMES  QUITE SUDDENLY, IT IS  SOMETIMES PRECEDED BY VISUAL DISTURBANCES SUCH AS ZIG ZAGGED LINES, DIZZINESS, AND NUMBNESS ON ONE SIDE OF THE BODY. MIGRAINES LAST FROM A FEW HOURS TO A FEW DAYS, SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK OR ONCE EVERY FEW YEARS.
MIGRAINES ARE MORE COMMON IN WOMEN. THEY MAY BEGIN DURING CHILDHOOD BUT MOST OF THEM BEGIN DURING THE TEENS AND EARLY TWENTIES.

PREVENTION
·         AT THE FIRST SIGN OF A MIGRAINE, LIE DOWN IN A DARKENED ROOM WITH A  COOL CLOTH ON YOUR FOREHEAD. RELAX YOUR ENTIRE BODY STARTING WITH THE FOREHEAD AND EYES DOWN TO THE TOES.
·         SLEEPING CAN ALSO RELIEVE MIGRAINES.
·         ASPIRIN AND IBUPROFEN FOR EXAMPLE  HELP RELIEVE MIGRAINE.
·         IF YOU ARE ON MEDICATION FOR MIGRAINE, TAKE IT AT THE FIRST SIGN THAT A MIGRAINE IS STARTING.
TENSION HEADACHES
MORE THAN 90% OF HEADACHES ARE TENSION HEADACHES WHICH BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND SEVERE DURING TIMES OF PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL STRESS.A PREVIOUS NECK INJURY OR ARTHRITIS IN THE NECK CAN ALSO CAUSE TENSION HEADACHES.  A TENSION HEADACHE MAY  BE IDENTIFIED WITH THE FOLLOWING ;
·         TIGHTNESS OR PAIN IN THE MUSCLES OF THE NECK, BACK AND SHOULDERS.
·         PAIN ALL OVER THE HEAD.
·         PRESSURE OR A FEELING OF HAVING A BAND AROUND THE HEAD.
·         THE HEAD MAY FEEL LIKE IT IS IN A VISE.
·         A DULL, PRESSING, BURNING SENSATION ABOVE THE EYES.
·         PAIN MAY AFFECT THE JAW, NECK AND SHOULDER MUSCLES.
·         YOU CAN RARELY PINPOINT THE CENTER OR SOURCE OF PAIN.
  
CLUSTER HEADACHES
CLUSTER HEADACHES ARE  SUDDEN, VERY SEVERE, SHARP, STABBING HEADACHES THAT OCCUR ON ONE SIDE OF THE HEAD, USUALLY IN THE TEMPLE OR BEHIND THE EYE. THE EYE AND NOSTRIL ON THE AFFECTED SIDE MAY BE RUNNY.
THE PAIN OFTEN BEGINS AT NIGHT AND MAY LAST FROM 30 MINUTES TO A FEW HOURS. THE HEADACHE MAY REOCCUR SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. ATTACKS MAY LAST 4 TO 12 WEEKS, THEN DISAPPEAR FOR MONTHS OR YEARS.
CLUSTER HEADACHES ARE FIVE TIMES MORE COMMON IN MEN BUT MANY MEN WHO GET THEM ARE HEAVY  SMOKERS AND DRINKERS. AVOID ALCOHOL AND CIGARETTES DURING AN ATTACK.
IT  IS ADVICEABLE TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR IF
·         YOU HAVE PERSISTENT, SEVERE HEADACHES WITH NO  APPARENT CAUSE OR REASON .
·         IF A HEAD ACHE  IS SEVERE AND CANNOT BE RELIEVED WITH HOME TREATMENT.
·         IF UNEXPLAINED HEADACHES CONTINUE TO OCCUR MORE THAN THREE TIMES A WEEK.
·         IF HEADACHES BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND SEVERE.
·         IF HEADACHES AWAKEN YOU OUT OF A SOUND SLEEP OR ARE WORSE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING.




No comments:

Post a Comment