HELPING HEADACHES

HOME STAFF SERVICES CLASSES PRODUCTS INFORMATION ORDER LINKS CONTACT

The scope of headaches Headache pain is among the top ten symptoms for which people seek medical help. Headaches are so common that they are often just seen as a part of routine life. Lost productivity is estimated to cost business $15 BILLION per year for migraines alone. Types of Common Headaches Of the 149 documented types of headaches, 3 are the most common: Cluster - the most painful kind, cluster headaches are five times more common in men than in women. They occur in groups- often as many as eight times a day - and are experienced as a searing pressure in one eye. Clusters are estimated to occur in over a million Americans. Migraine - Experienced by an estimated 28 million Americans, women are three times more likely than men to have migraine headaches. These typically last four hours to three days, with pulsing pain on one side of the head, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. Tension - Lasting from 30 minutes to a week, tension headaches are a diffuse vice-like pressure throughout the head. When to get immediate help Should you experience any of the following, you should seek immediate medical help: Qucik onset of severe pain, blurred vision, slurred speech, loss of coordination, or difficulty in breathing. Try to identify your triggers Stress, anxiety, fatigue, dehydration, smoking, muscle tension, spine and arm injuries, high blood pressure, low blood sugar, poor posture, sleeping positions, work and hobby ergonomics (use of headsets, proper spositioning), eye sxtrain from sision perscription changes or bright sunlight, sinus problems, allergies (irritants such as pollution, perfume or aftershave), weather and barometric changes, menses, viral infection, nutritional deficiencies and overall wellness. Check your furnace for carbon monoxide problems and clean your home air filter. Headaches may be a result of a combination of factors. Common food triggers include: Caffeine, alcohol, red wine, dairy products, chocolate, eggs, citrus fruits, meat, wheat, nuts, tomatoes, onions, corn, apples, bananas, the food additives MSG, aspartame (NutraSweet), nitrates (hot dogs and lunch meats) and nitrites. Consider recording everything you eat to help identify patterns. Start by eliminating all these foods for one month. If your headaches go away, slowly add one food at a time to your diet to determine a trigger food. Supplements that may help (you might want to investigate these more): Calcium, Magnesium, Coenzyme Q10, Potassium, Vitamin B complex, Ginko Biloba, and Vitamins C & E. Use Your Tools: Meditation, relaxation techniques, biofeedback, excercise, adequate sleep, proper hydration, food allergies, self massage, capsacian gels, stretching, improved posture, ice, hot packs, warm bath or shower. Avoid chewing gum. Consider regular hands-on massage or Aqua-massages. Pain control medications as directed by your physician. The longer you wait to control pain, the more chronic it becomes, often making it harder to control. Get Professional Help Seek professional help if headaches are infering with your daily activities and impacting your quality of life. Allowing headaches to go untreated is not only painful but may make future attacks harder to control. Avoid falling into the chronic self medication trap. Long term overreliance on aspirin, acetaminophen, and other non perscription medications can make chronic headaches worse by interfering with the brain's natural ability to reduce headaches. Become an informed patient and find a specialist that will work with you to determine the most effective treatment. More information National Headache Foundation (800)-843-2256 www.headaches.org American Council for Headache Education (800)-255-2243 www.achenet.org Compiled by Colorado Physical Therapy Institute, providers of quality hands-on care, biofeedback and specialized professionals for neck, jaw and head pain since 1987. Call us at (303)-460-9129. This information is general and is not intended to replace professional care.

---